Training Manual: Uganda As A Knowledge Society

Training Manual:
Uganda as a Knowledge Society
to support the sessions on Knowledge Society,

KS Public Policy and ICT Policy at the
Executive Training on Foundations

of Government Information
Leadership
Kampala, Uganda, 22-26 July 2013
Authors:
Roxana Bassi (rox@roxanabassi.com.ar)
and Susana Finquelievich (sfinquel@gmail.com)
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Executive Training on Foundations of Government Information Leadership
Table of Contents
Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 3
Building Knowledge Societies ................................................................................................. 3
Knowledge Society definitions and concepts......................................................................... 3
Uganda as a KS ................................................................................................................ 3
Milestones in Uganda’s KS & related public policies ....................................................... 3
E-readiness in the Knowledge Society.................................................................................. 3
Introduction to Indicators .............................................................................................. 3
Measuring Knowledge Societies ...................................................................................... 3
a) IFAPs 2011 Report ................................................................................................ 3
b) ITU Measuring the Information Society 2012............................................................ 3
c) WEF Global Information Technology Report.............................................................. 3
d) UNDP technology achievement Index (TAI).............................................................. 3
The need of public policies for the development of a Knowledge Society ..................................... 3
A Policy for the Knowledge Society ..................................................................................... 3
The IFAP Template ........................................................................................................... 3
Areas of government intervention ....................................................................................... 3
a) Information and communications (ICT) infrastructure; .................................................. 3
ICT Infrastructure intervention areas........................................................................... 3
Internet Governance.................................................................................................. 3
b) Developing a local IT Industry .................................................................................... 3
c) Legal and Regulatory Framework ................................................................................ 3
d) ICT applications in all aspects of life............................................................................ 3
E-government........................................................................................................... 3
E-Commerce............................................................................................................. 3
ICT in Education ....................................................................................................... 3
ICT in Health ............................................................................................................ 3
E-employment .......................................................................................................... 3
ICT and the Environment ........................................................................................... 3
ICT in Agriculture ...................................................................................................... 3
ICT in Science and innovation..................................................................................... 3
e) IT Education............................................................................................................. 3
f) Access to information and knowledge........................................................................... 3
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Deepening utilization of ICT services by government, private sector, not-for profit

organizations and the wider citizenry........................................................................... 3
Universal access........................................................................................................ 3
Access, Promotion and awareness............................................................................... 3
Women, youth and PWD ............................................................................................ 3
g) Preservation of Heritage, Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content
................................................................................................................................... 3
Policy implementation........................................................................................................ 3
Monitoring and evaluation.................................................................................................. 3
Monitoring.................................................................................................................... 3
Evaluation .................................................................................................................... 3
Summary ............................................................................................................................. 3
Practical Workshop on the Knowledge Society and related policies in Uganda .............................. 3
1. Selected action lines to support the development of a Knowledge Society............................ 3
1.1 Telecommunications infrastructure ............................................................................ 3
1.2 A Knowledge Society for a young population............................................................... 3
1.3 Evolution from mainly agricultural to a leading IT industry ........................................... 3
1.4 Women and girls in a KS .......................................................................................... 3
1.5 Cultural diversity and identity, cultural Heritage, linguistic diversity and local content ...... 3
1.6 Fighting Poverty ...................................................................................................... 3
1.7 Tourism and Ecology................................................................................................ 3
1.8 Uganda and achieving Millennium development goals .................................................. 3
2. Achieving Vision 2040.................................................................................................... 3
3. Uganda has achieved its dream ...................................................................................... 3
Additional reading, Bibliography and references by category...................................................... 3
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List of tables and figures
Figure 1: ICT development of the world by IFAP ...................................................................... 3

Figure 2: Internet penetration in Africa by IFAP........................................................................ 3
Figure 3: IDI sub indexes ...................................................................................................... 3
Figure 4: World list and IDI 2011 and 2010 ............................................................................. 3
Figure 5: African countries IDI 2011 and 2010 ......................................................................... 3
Figure 6: NRI index for the world in 2013 and 2012.................................................................. 3
Figure 7: NRI Index Africa 2013 ............................................................................................. 3
Figure 8: Detailed NRI of Uganda ........................................................................................... 3
Figure 9: Uganda backbone Map ............................................................................................ 3
Figure 10: African submarine cable layout ............................................................................... 3
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Introduction
This manual has been developed to support two sessions on Knowledge Societies and Policy for an
executive training that took place in Uganda in July 2013.
The objectives of the training sessions are:

1. To introduce the role of governments in supporting the development of a Knowledge
Society (KS)
2. To analyze several e-readiness indicators in order to understand the state of the art
concerning KS in the world, Africa and particularly Uganda
3. To discuss the need of Public policies for Knowledge Societies and present areas of
government intervention
4. To reflect on the knowledge acquired through a series of practical exercises based on the
current Ugandan situation and some of its key policy documents
The following manual has been developed as support material for the sessions and is distributed as
an OER (Open Educational Resource) to be used by anyone interested in the subject. For reference
and reflecting purposes it is mostly based in Ugandan Policy documents, but takes into
considerations Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda, as well as the African continent in general. However,
most of the content has been specifically researched for the training session, and since the
Ugandan landscape regarding KS is changing so fast, please take into account that the content
might become outdated very rapidly.
Roxana Bassi and Susana Finquelievich, September 2013
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Building Knowledge Societies
Have you ever wondered how Knowledge Societies are built? The emergence of the Knowledge
Society (KS), building on the growing influence of Information and Communication Technologies
(ICTs), is bringing about a fundamental reshaping of the global economy and society. This
transformation is changing and will continue to change our regions and countries’ economies and
societies.
Since humanity’s earliest steps knowledge has always been a factor of production, and a driver of
economic and social development. Earlier economies depended, for example, on knowledge about
where specific plants grew, how to capture animals, how to farm, how to exploit natural resources,
how to build and how to manufacture. However, the capacity to manipulate, store and transmit
large quantities of information cheaply has increased at an incredible rate over recent decades. The
digitalization of information and the ubiquity of Internet access are facilitating a new intensity in the
application of knowledge to economic activity, to the extent that it has become the predominant
factor in the creation of wealth. As much as 70 to 80 percent of economic growth is now said
to be due to new and better knowledge.
In an increasingly global economy the effective creation, use and dissemination of knowledge is
increasingly the key to success, and thus to sustainable economic and social development.
Innovation, which fuels new job creation and economic growth, is quickly becoming the key factor
in global competitiveness. Building a specific Knowledge Society for our own countries, a KS that
considers and respects the countries’ economic, social, cultural background, needs, visions and
goals has become a priority.
But how is a KS built? A Knowledge Society is built primarily by an informed and updated National
Policy, which can consist of several policies, plans and laws. Three fundamental goals of such a
policy could be summed up as follows:
• Goal 1- to democratize access: To place within the reach of all persons, the means to
access and use information and information and communication technologies, guaranteeing
the enjoyment of citizen rights, fostering education, local development, eradication of
poverty, gender equity, digital inclusion, universal access, public transparency and
efficiency, and participatory governance;
• Goal 2- to develop capacities: to create, support and promote strategies, tools and
methodologies to generate capacities and skills to utilize information and information and
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communication technologies for all sectors and societal groups, at all levels of formal and
informal education, also disseminating the possibilities provided by different information
management models. In particular, to build capacity for research and technological
innovation oriented toward generating one's own knowledge; and to generate national
contents on the part of public institutions and local contents on the part of different social
groups;
• Goal 3- to achieve an adequate legal and regulatory framework: to create the necessary
norms and regulations to guarantee the right to information; to encourage utilization of
information and of information and communication technologies, through relevant legal
bodies, creating an adequate, stable legal setting. The goals of a National KS policy must
be designed to reinforce all ways of accessing and using information, both traditional and
digital.
Source: IFAP Template, 2009
In this training session participants will learn how to contribute to the construction of Public Policies
for Knowledge Societies (PPKS) through an analysis of the established and proposed PPKS
documents in Uganda.
Knowledge Society definitions and concepts

Knowledge – or Information – Society (KS) is a term that has become increasingly popular since
2005. But the concept is complex, has been evolving over the years and there is not a single
definition.
Practical exercise:
Take a minute to reflect about your own definition of the concept of a “Knowledge Society”. Is
Information Society the same as Knowledge Society? What do you believe should be the
characteristics of a KS?
Let us review some concepts and definitions from diverse sources:

• “Knowledge Society: Knowledge Society is one that creates, shares, and uses knowledge
for the prosperity and well-being of its people” [Wikipedia]
• “Knowledge societies are about capabilities to identify, produce, process, transform,
disseminate and use information to build and apply knowledge for human development.
They require an empowering social vision that encompasses plurality, inclusion, solidarity
and participation” UNESCO 2005
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• “It is widely accepted today that the ‘Information Society’ is going to lead to the
‘Knowledge Society’ where individuals as well as institutions are valued (and judged)
according to what they know and how much they know. Populations need new knowledge
and new skills to understand, to feel at ease with, to take advantage of, to benefit from,
and to operate ICT efficiently. The speed of change of ICT means that acquisition of this
new knowledge and skills needed to operate ICT is becoming a never-ending process.”
Uganda’s ICT Policy 2003
• UNESCO, in particular, has adopted the term “knowledge society”, or its variant,
“knowledge societies”, within its institutional policies. There has been a great deal of
reflection on the issue, which strives to incorporate a more integral conception that is not
only related to the economic dimension. For example, Abdul Waheed Khan (general sub-
director of UNESCO for Communication and Information) writes: “Information society is the
building block for knowledge societies. Whereas I see the concept of ‘information society’
as linked to the idea of ‘technological innovation’, the concept of ‘knowledge societies’
includes a dimension of social, cultural, economical, political and institutional
transformation, and a more pluralistic and developmental perspective. In my view, the
concept of ‘knowledge societies’ is preferable to that of the ‘information society’ because it
better captures the complexity and dynamism of the changes taking place. (...) the
knowledge in question is important not only for economic growth but also for empowering
and developing all sectors of society.” IFAP IS Policy document
• “In emerging knowledge societies, there is also a virtuous circle in which the progress of
knowledge and technological innovation produces more knowledge in the long term. We
are witnessing an acceleration of knowledge production”. UNESCO 2005
• The European Commission envisions an innovative, inclusive and dynamic Europe based on
a knowledge-based economy and society. The ‘Lisbon strategy’ covers a whole range of
areas, such as scientific research, education, vocational training, Internet access and online
business.
• The Geneva Declaration of Principles adopted by governments during WSIS -with
significant contributions from civil society- expresses in its first article: “We... declare our
common desire and commitment to build a people-centered, inclusive, and development-
oriented Information Society, where everyone can create, access, utilize, and share
information and knowledge, enabling individuals, communities and peoples to achieve their
full potential in promoting their sustainable development and improving their quality of life,
premised on the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations and
respecting fully and upholding the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. We are
committed to building information and communication societies that are people-centered,
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inclusive, and equitable. Societies in which everyone can freely create, access, utilize, share
and disseminate information and knowledge, so that individuals, communities, and peoples
are empowered to improve their quality of life and to achieve their full potential.”
Subsequently, this Declaration adds the principles of social, political, and economic justice,
as well as full participation and capacity-building of the peoples; it highlights the objectives
of sustainable development, democracy, and gender equality; and it evokes societies where
development acts as a setting for fundamental human rights and is oriented to attain a
more equitable distribution of resources. “ IFAP Policy doc
• UNESCO website, on Building Knowledge Societies: “Human Development is about
expanding people’s choices so that they can live long, healthy, creative lives, and make
investments in the future. Knowledge is at the center of human development. As a human
right, knowledge is an end in-and-of-itself. But it is also an important means – a
prerequisite for participation in governance, for health, for human security, and, more than
ever, for productive engagement in the increasingly competitive global economy. UNDP
works with partners around the world to better equip people with the knowledge necessary
to lead more fulfilling lives in a context of more inclusive human development”.
• “To arouse the interest of the African populations to securely use of the ICT for a
successful transformation of Africa and introduction to the digital era and to a Knowledge
Society” African Union, Information Society division objectives
Some reflections on the KS:

• The UNESCO World Report on Knowledge Societies for All (2005) stresses that knowledge
societies are not to be confused with information societies. Knowledge societies contribute
to the well-being of individuals and communities, and encompass social, ethical and
political dimensions. Information societies are based on technological breakthroughs that
risk providing little more than “a mass of indistinct data” for those who don’t have the skills
to benefit from it. An information society is, therefore, considered as a necessary
previous step to build Knowledge Societies
• UNESCO (2005) considers that while information is a knowledge-generating tool, but that it
should not be understood as knowledge by itself. “The idea of the information society is
based on technological breakthroughs. The concept of knowledge societies encompasses
much broader social, ethical and political dimensions. There is a multitude of such
dimensions which rules out the idea of any single, ready-made model, for such a model
would not take sufficient account of cultural and linguistic diversity, vital if individuals are to
feel at home in a changing world. Various forms of knowledge and culture always enter
into the building of any society, including those strongly influenced by scientific progress
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and modern technology. It would be inadmissible to envisage the information and

communication revolution leading – through a narrow, fatalistic technological determinism
– to a single possible form of society”. Therefore, ICT tools are a necessary but not
sufficient precondition for the societal and political process of developing knowledge
societies. IFAP Template, 2009.
• “A knowledge society should be able to integrate all its members and to promote new
forms of solidarity involving both present and future generations. Nobody should be
excluded from knowledge societies, where knowledge is a public good, available to each
and every individual.” UNESCO 2005
• “Will knowledge societies be societies based on knowledge-sharing for all or on the
partition of knowledge? In the information age, and at a time when the advent of
knowledge societies is poised to become a reality, we are, paradoxically, seeing divides and
exclusions emerge between North and South, and within each society”. UNESCO 2005
• “The digital divide helps widening an even more alarming divide – the knowledge divide,
which adds up the cumulative effects of the various rifts observed in the main areas that
make up knowledge (access to information, education, scientific research, and cultural and
linguistic diversity) and is the real challenge facing the building of knowledge societies. This
knowledge divide is rooted in the dynamics inherent to knowledge gaps, be they global
inequalities in the distribution of cognitive potential (gaps between forms of knowledge) or
the unequal value put on different types of knowledge” UNESCO 2005
• “A crucial question is how a society should organize access to information while
encouraging the creation and production of knowledge. This question goes to the very
heart of how we value knowledge socially, as well as economically. The challenge is to find
a balanced solution that is socially acceptable and economically viable between two
contrasting options – copyright which protects intellectual property but restricts access to
information in the market and the commons approach which favors a public domain and
open access to information (...) Stimulating the production of information in knowledge
societies which is perceived as being relevant by those who access and apply it in their
everyday lives, and in political and economic contexts, will remain a major challenge for
policy in the coming decades” UNESCO 2013
• “It is essential to recall that knowledge societies are concerned with human development,
not only with technological innovation and its impacts.” UNESCO 2013
• “Our starting point is to recall that if knowledge is valuable economically, it is also the core
of culture and human life within peaceful societies. We emphasize that universal access to
information is a basic requirement to create knowledge societies for peace and sustainable
development, but that it is not a sufficient requirement. This is because knowledge implies
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meaning, appropriation and participation. Access to knowledge implies much more than
access to ICTs or digital information. It involves learning in formal and informal educational
settings and it is acquired through experience.” UNESCO 2013
Practical exercise:
Take a minute to reflect on the different and complementary concepts you have read related to
Knowledge Societies. As a consequence, what are KS main characteristics? Is your country planning
to become one? Do you know about African initiatives to build National Knowledge Societies?
Uganda as a KS
One of the key documents to understand the future of Uganda is its
development Policy, Vision 2040, that hopes to create “A transformed
Ugandan society from a peasant to a modern and prosperous country
within 30 years”
Another Key document, the National ICT Policy of 2003, acknowledges

that the ‘Information Society’ is going to lead to the ‘Knowledge
Society’ where individuals as well as institutions are valued (and
judged) according to what they know and how much they know.
Populations need new knowledge and new skills to understand, to feel at ease with, to take
advantage of, to benefit from, and to operate ICT efficiently.
The newest ICT Policy draft 2012 can be considered critical for Uganda as a Knowledge Society. Its
Vision is “A knowledge society where Information and Communications Technology
(ICT) is central in all spheres of life‟, while its mission is “To leverage ICT for
transformation of Uganda into a Knowledge Society by 2025”. It also indicates that “In its
long term vision, government of Uganda, like all other countries aspires to be a globally competitive
and prosperous nation with a high quality of life, within the shortest time possible. Aware that ICT
have the potential to impact economic growth by providing the catalytic role to other sectors, this
new ICT policy is aimed at supporting the realization of the national vision.”
The broad policy objectives of the draft national ICT policy of 2012 are:
i) Build a knowledge based human capital;
ii) Promote innovation in economic and social systems;
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iii) Expand ICT infrastructure and its integration throughout the country;
iv) Deepen utilization of ICT services by government, private sector, not for profit
organization and citizenry;
v) Enhance research and innovation in ICT products, applications, and services; and
vi) Improve ICT governance and environment in Uganda.
Milestones in Uganda’s KS & related public policies
Several key policies, plans and laws have been developed in Uganda related to the construction of
a KS. Below is a list of some of the key milestones.
- 1996: Government adopted the telecommunications policy which led to the liberalization of
the sector, creation of Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) as the regulator and
privatization of the then incumbent, Uganda Posts and Telecommunications Corporation
(UPTC).
- 2001: Rural Communications Development Policy for Uganda enacted, with the main
objective being to provide access to basic communication services within a reasonable
distance to all people (universal access)
- 2002/2003: approval by Cabinet of National ICT Policy Framework to guide the
development of the ICT sector in Uganda. It focuses on three areas: as a resource for
development, mechanisms for accessing it, and ICT as an industry, including e-business,
software development and manufacturing.
- 2005: More reforms in the telecommunications sub-sector further opened it up to full
liberalization. Broadcasting Policy was developed. Uganda access to Information act.
- 2006: Ministry of ICT was created, with an aim of bringing all aspects of ICT under one
roof. Objectives: provide strategic and technical leadership, overall coordination, support
and advocacy on all matters of policy, laws, regulations and strategy; sustainable, effective
and efficient development, harnessing and utilization of ICT in all spheres of life to enable
the country achieve its national development goals. Creation of the National Information
Technology Authority-Uganda (NITA-U).
- 2007: Revised Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) 2007-2015
- 2009: Revised Rural Communications Strategy (UCC) - Science, Technology and Innovation
Policy
- 2011: e-Government Strategy Framework (Uganda e-Government) whose vision is to
“Ensure online accessibility of all government services and opportunities for community
participation in a friendly, transparent and efficient manner for all sections of the society”.
Also computer Misuse Act, Electronic Transaction Act, digital signature enacted. National IT
Policy approved by Cabinet.
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- 2011: Draft Information Management Services Policy developed to address poor

management of information resources within government and beyond.
- 2012: A new and very comprehensive ICT Policy draft created, opened for feedback and is
pending approval as of July 2013. This document is the object of our analysis during this
manual.
“The social and economic challenges facing Uganda and the opportunities that ICTs offer pose
complex policy choices for the nation. The country has to address the implementation of this policy
and mainstreaming of ICTs amid strong competition for limited financial resources from other
sectors.” ICT Policy 2012
Practical exercise:
Take a few minutes to reflect on Uganda’s Vision 2040 and the draft 2012 ICT Policy. Do you
think they are connected? How? Do you believe it is possible to transform Uganda in a KS by
2025? What steps are going to be necessary?
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E-readiness in the Knowledge Society
Introduction to Indicators
The English Language Dictionary describes an indicator as “an instrument which gives you
information”. According to OECD/DAC, an indicator is: “A quantitative or qualitative factor or
variable that provides a simple and reliable means to measure achievement, to reflect changes
connected to an intervention, or to help assess the performance of a development actor” (DAC
Glossary of Key Terms in Evaluation, May 2002)
Indicators are an important instrument for monitoring the dynamics of the Knowledge based
Society and to generate information for better policy interventions. The goal is that the selected
indicators have to properly reflect the evolution and characteristics of the processes of development
and spreading of Knowledge Societies in Africa and be, as well, capable of being internationally
compared.
In general, indicators can be used to measure inputs, processes, outputs and impacts, as follows:
• Input indicators measure resources, both human and financial, devoted to a particular
program or intervention (i.e. kilometers of backbone). Input indicators can also include
measures of characteristics of target populations (i.e. number of internet users).
• Process indicators measure ways in which services and goods are provided (i.e. e-
government websites or services, e-business volume).
• Output indicators measure the quantity of goods and services produced and the efficiency
of production (i.e. coverage of Internet access, average connectivity speed).
• Impact indicators measure the broader results achieved through the provision of goods
and services (i.e. number of online transactions, amount of e-commerce).
Some questions that may guide the selection of indicators are:

• Does this indicator enable one to know about the expected result or condition?
• Is the indicator defined in the same way over time? Are data for the indicator collected in
the same way over time? Is the data comparable with other countries?
• Will data be available for a given indicator over time? Can this data be collected on time to
be of value?
• Are data currently being collected? If not, can cost-effective instruments and processes for
data collection be developed?
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• Is this indicator important to most people? Will this indicator provide sufficient information
about a condition or result to convince both supporters and skeptics?
Measuring Knowledge Societies

In this section we will discuss some selected frameworks and indicators which measure how
countries are doing in developing a KS, and we will analyze in detail the African and Ugandan
context.
There are many different reports and sets of indicators developed by international organizations to
evaluate the level of development of a country towards a Knowledge Society. In general, E-
readiness describes a country’s degree of preparation to participate as a proactive agent
in the diverse sectors and levels of an information society, and to capitalize on the
opportunities of participation offered by the new economic and technological
environment. (Source: IFAP template)
Until some years ago most indicators were focused in measuring ICT infrastructure
(PCs/population, cell phones, fixed phones, broadband, etc.). In recent years indicators designed to
measure the knowledge society are becoming broader by encompassing other indicators, such as
freedom of speech, online business, e-government usage, legal environment, social changes,
education and other critical areas. This reflects what society is recognizing as policy areas where
government intervention can make a difference in the development of a KS.
In the following section we will analyze and compare four selected frameworks and sets of
indicators that have been developed in order to measure e-readiness. For those interested in the
subject, other reports are available in the resources section.
a) IFAPs 2011 Report
IFAP publishes an annual report on information societies. The map below depicts the state of
development of information societies in the world. Three indices (number of mobile phones
per one hundred citizens, number of Internet users per one hundred citizens, and landline
broadband Internet per household) were used to create the seven clusters that range from orange
(the regions believed to be the most developed) to dark blue (least developed) on the thematic
map, which presents a clear picture of the global inequalities.
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Figure 1: ICT development of the world by IFAP
Source: IFAP ICT Development of the World, IFAP Observatory 2011 report http://ifap-is-
observatory.ittk.hu/unesco_ittk_wpr_observatory_annual_report_2011.pdf
Below we take a closer look at the African situation looking at Internet penetration.
Figure 2: Internet penetration in Africa by IFAP
Source: IFAP ICT Development of the World, IFAP Observatory 2011 report http://ifap-is-
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The IFAP Report summarizes the African situation as follows “In 2011 Africa’s dual character has
become even more marked. While the continent lags behind the other regions with respect to the
basic information technology indices, a development model of its own is starting to take shape. This
model is based on mobile technology and is governed by the principle of “more from less”, whereby
the maximum utilization of the existing infrastructural resources by simple, practical services is
tailored to actual needs.”
b) ITU Measuring the Information Society 2012
The set of indicators built by the International Telecommunication Union for the “Measuring the
Information Society” framework are widely used. It measures variables like access (to equipment,
to services, to connectivity, to training) and more interestingly, a measure of “development
potential” or an indication of the extent to which countries can make use of ICT to enhance growth
and development based on capabilities and skills. The report provides two key benchmarking tools
to measure the Information Society: the ICT Development Index (IDI) and the ICT Price Basket
(IPB). We will concentrate on the first of the two.
IDI combines 3 sub indexes in a scale 0-10 that are shown in the table below.
Figure 3: IDI sub indexes
Source: ITU “Measuring the Information Society 2012” report
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Figure 4: World list and IDI 2011 and 2010
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Figure 5: African countries IDI 2011 and 2010
The report highlights that Africa remains the region with the lowest average IDI (1.88), less than
half the global average (4.15). Africa is the region with the smallest range (3.49), but it has the
second highest coefficient of variation, which underlines that there are major differences in
terms of ICT development within the region. The trend suggests that the digital divide, both
globally and regionally, is widening. It is also noticeable that the African regional access sub-index
is not only higher than the region’s use sub-index, but shows a stronger average growth. This
signals to the general low level of ICT development in the region, and to the fact that many basic
infrastructure needs have yet to be met. Many African countries are among those that have made
most progress globally in the access sub-index. Impressive growth continues in mobile-cellular
subscriptions, which have reached very high penetration levels in a number of African countries.
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c) WEF Global Information Technology Report
The World Economic Forum in Switzerland publishes the Global Information Technology Report
2013 which uses Networked Readiness Index (NRI), an indicator that considers the traditional
driving factors of infrastructure, but highlighting the joint responsibility of all social actors, namely
individuals, businesses, and governments.
The report can be accessed at: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GITR_Report_2013.pdf

Please have a look at the NRI index for the world for 2013 and 2012 in the table below. You can
also extract and compare different variables using the online tool “The Networked Readiness Index
data platform” located at http://www.weforum.org/issues/global-information-technology/gitr-
platform
Figure 6: NRI index for the world in 2013 and 2012
2013 2012 2013 vs. 2012

Economy Rank Score Rank Score Score var. Rank var.
Finland 1 5,98 3 5,81 0,18 2

Singapore 2 5,96 2 5,86 0,10 0
Sweden 3 5,91 1 5,94 -0,03 -2
Netherlands 4 5,81 6 5,60 0,21 2
Norway 5 5,66 7 5,59 0,07 2
Switzerland 6 5,66 5 5,61 0,04 -1
United Kingdom 7 5,64 10 5,50 0,14 3
Denmark 8 5,58 4 5,70 -0,12 -4
United States 9 5,57 8 5,56 0,01 -1
Taiwan, China 10 5,47 11 5,48 -0,01 1

Korea, Rep. 11 5,46 12 5,47 -0,01 1
Canada 12 5,44 9 5,51 -0,06 -3
Germany 13 5,43 16 5,32 0,10 3
Hong Kong SAR 14 5,40 13 5,46 -0,06 -1

Israel 15 5,39 20 5,24 0,15 5
Luxembourg 16 5,37 21 5,22 0,15 5
Iceland 17 5,31 15 5,33 -0,02 -2
Australia 18 5,26 17 5,29 -0,03 -1

Austria 19 5,25 19 5,25 0,00 0
New Zealand 20 5,25 14 5,36 -0,12 -6

Japan 21 5,24 18 5,25 -0,02 -3
Estonia 22 5,12 24 5,09 0,02 2
Qatar 23 5,10 28 4,81 0,29 5
Belgium 24 5,10 22 5,13 -0,03 -2
United Arab Emirates 25 5,07 30 4,77 0,31 5
France 26 5,06 23 5,12 -0,06 -3

Ireland 27 5,05 25 5,02 0,04 -2
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2013 2012 2013 vs. 2012
Malta 28 4,90 26 4,91 -0,01 -2

Bahrain 29 4,83 27 4,90 -0,07 -2
Malaysia 30 4,82 29 4,80 0,02 -1
Saudi Arabia 31 4,82 34 4,62 0,20 3
Lithuania 32 4,72 31 4,66 0,05 -1
Portugal 33 4,67 33 4,63 0,04 0
Chile 34 4,59 39 4,44 0,15 5

Cyprus 35 4,59 32 4,66 -0,07 -3
Puerto Rico 36 4,55 36 4,59 -0,04 0
Slovenia 37 4,53 37 4,58 -0,05 0
Spain 38 4,51 38 4,54 -0,04 0
Barbados 39 4,49 35 4,61 -0,12 -4
Oman 40 4,48 40 4,35 0,13 0
Latvia 41 4,43 41 4,35 0,09 0
Czech Republic 42 4,38 42 4,33 0,04 0
Kazakhstan 43 4,32 55 4,03 0,29 12
Hungary 44 4,29 43 4,30 -0,01 -1
Turkey 45 4,22 52 4,07 0,15 7
Panama 46 4,22 57 4,01 0,21 11

Jordan 47 4,20 47 4,17 0,03 0
Montenegro 48 4,20 46 4,22 -0,02 -2
Poland 49 4,19 49 4,16 0,03 0
Italy 50 4,18 48 4,17 0,01 -2
Croatia 51 4,17 45 4,22 -0,05 -6
Uruguay 52 4,16 44 4,28 -0,12 -8

Costa Rica 53 4,15 58 4,00 0,15 5
Russian Federation 54 4,13 56 4,02 0,11 2
Mauritius 55 4,12 53 4,06 0,06 -2
Azerbaijan 56 4,11 61 3,95 0,16 5

Brunei Darussalam 57 4,11 54 4,04 0,07 -3
China 58 4,03 51 4,11 -0,08 -7
Mongolia 59 4,01 63 3,95 0,06 4
Brazil 60 3,97 65 3,92 0,05 5
Slovak Republic 61 3,95 64 3,94 0,02 3
Kuwait 62 3,94 62 3,95 -0,01 0

Mexico 63 3,93 76 3,82 0,11 13
Greece 64 3,93 59 3,99 -0,07 -5
Georgia 65 3,93 88 3,60 0,33 23
Colombia 66 3,91 73 3,87 0,04 7
Macedonia, FYR 67 3,89 66 3,91 -0,02 -1
India 68 3,88 69 3,89 -0,01 1

Sri Lanka 69 3,88 71 3,88 0,00 2
South Africa 70 3,87 72 3,87 0,00 2
Bulgaria 71 3,87 70 3,89 -0,02 -1
Trinidad and Tobago 72 3,87 60 3,98 -0,11 -12
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2013 2012 2013 vs. 2012
Ukraine 73 3,87 75 3,85 0,02 2

Thailand 74 3,86 77 3,78 0,08 3
Romania 75 3,86 67 3,90 -0,04 -8
Indonesia 76 3,84 80 3,75 0,10 4
Moldova 77 3,84 78 3,78 0,06 1
Bosnia and Herzegovina 78 3,80 84 3,65 0,15 6
Seychelles 79 3,80 n/a n/a n/a n/a

Egypt 80 3,78 79 3,77 0,01 -1
Cape Verde 81 3,78 81 3,71 0,07 0
Armenia 82 3,76 94 3,49 0,27 12
Albania 83 3,75 68 3,89 -0,14 -15
Vietnam 84 3,74 83 3,70 0,04 -1
Jamaica 85 3,74 74 3,86 -0,12 -11
Philippines 86 3,73 86 3,64 0,09 0
Serbia 87 3,70 85 3,64 0,06 -2
Rwanda 88 3,68 82 3,70 -0,02 -6
Morocco 89 3,64 91 3,56 0,09 2
Dominican Republic 90 3,62 87 3,60 0,01 -3
Ecuador 91 3,58 96 3,46 0,12 5

Kenya 92 3,54 93 3,51 0,02 1
El Salvador 93 3,53 103 3,38 0,16 10
Lebanon 94 3,53 95 3,49 0,04 1
Ghana 95 3,51 97 3,44 0,07 2
Botswana 96 3,50 89 3,58 -0,08 -7
Liberia 97 3,48 n/a n/a n/a n/a

Gambia, The 98 3,47 101 3,41 0,06 3
Argentina 99 3,47 92 3,52 -0,05 -7
Guyana 100 3,45 90 3,58 -0,13 -10
Iran, Islamic Rep. 101 3,43 104 3,36 0,06 3

Guatemala 102 3,42 98 3,43 -0,01 -4
Peru 103 3,39 106 3,34 0,05 3
Paraguay 104 3,37 111 3,25 0,12 7
Pakistan 105 3,35 102 3,39 -0,05 -3
Cambodia 106 3,34 108 3,32 0,02 2
Senegal 107 3,33 100 3,42 -0,08 -7

Venezuela 108 3,33 107 3,32 0,01 -1
Honduras 109 3,32 99 3,43 -0,11 -10
Uganda 110 3,30 110 3,25 0,05 0
Namibia 111 3,29 105 3,35 -0,06 -6

Tajikistan 112 3,29 114 3,19 0,11 2
Nigeria 113 3,27 112 3,22 0,04 -1

Bangladesh 114 3,22 113 3,20 0,02 -1
Zambia 115 3,19 109 3,26 -0,06 -6
Zimbabwe 116 3,17 124 2,94 0,23 8
Suriname 117 3,13 121 2,99 0,14 4
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2013 2012 2013 vs. 2012
Kyrgyz Republic 118 3,09 115 3,13 -0,04 -3

Bolivia 119 3,01 127 2,92 0,09 8
Côte d'Ivoire 120 3,00 122 2,98 0,02 2
Gabon 121 2,97 n/a n/a n/a n/a
Mali 122 2,97 126 2,93 0,04 4
Benin 123 2,97 117 3,05 -0,08 -6
Cameroon 124 2,95 125 2,93 0,01 1

Nicaragua 125 2,93 131 2,84 0,09 6
Nepal 126 2,93 128 2,92 0,01 2
Tanzania 127 2,92 123 2,95 -0,03 -4
Ethiopia 128 2,85 130 2,85 0,00 2
Malawi 129 2,83 116 3,05 -0,23 -13
Burkina Faso 130 2,80 135 2,72 0,07 5
Algeria 131 2,78 118 3,01 -0,23 -13
Libya 132 2,77 n/a n/a n/a n/a
Mozambique 133 2,76 120 2,99 -0,22 -13
Timor-Leste 134 2,72 132 2,84 -0,11 -2
Mauritania 135 2,71 139 2,55 0,16 4
Swaziland 136 2,69 136 2,70 0,00 0

Madagascar 137 2,69 134 2,73 -0,04 -3
Lesotho 138 2,68 133 2,78 -0,09 -5
Yemen 139 2,63 141 2,41 0,21 2
Guinea 140 2,61 n/a n/a n/a n/a
Haiti 141 2,58 142 2,27 0,31 1
Chad 142 2,53 138 2,55 -0,02 -4

Sierra Leone 143 2,53 n/a n/a n/a n/a
Burundi 144 2,30 137 2,57 -0,27 -7
Source: Global Information Technology Report 2013, Global Economic Forum Switzerland. Table generated
from data from http://www.weforum.org/issues/global-information-technology
The report summarizes the African situation as follows: “Sub-Saharan Africa has continued to make
significant efforts to build its ICT infrastructure, as reflected by important improvements in
developing its broadband infrastructure and the expansion of its mobile network coverage. As a
result, ICT usage, while still very low, has picked up slightly, as seen especially by an increase in
the number of Internet users and also by the continued commitment of some governments in the
region to expand the number of available online services. Despite this positive trend, the stubbornly
high sharp digital divide from more advanced economies, notably in terms of ICT-driven economic
and social impacts, persists. A still-costly access to ICT infrastructure, relatively low levels of skills
with low educational attainments, and unfavorable business conditions for entrepreneurship and
innovation are hindering the region’s capacity to fully leverage the potential of the increasingly
available ICT infrastructure.”
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Figure 7: NRI Index Africa 2013
Source: Global Information Technology Report 2013, Global Economic Forum Switzerland. Table generated
from data from http://www.weforum.org/issues/global-information-technology
The report also indicates that sub-Saharan Africa still suffers from a serious lag despite
infrastructure improvements, an expansion of coverage and a push into e-government. Costly
access to technology, a low skills base and unfavorable business conditions are among the chief
obstacles “in East Africa, Uganda, Zambia, and Tanzania—in 110th, 115th, and 127th place,
respectively—suffer from strong connectivity gaps and environments that lack the conditions to
allow for a full leverage of the benefits of ICTs.”
For a final reflection please have a look at Uganda’s NRI in detail.
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Figure 8: Detailed NRI of Uganda
Source: Global Information Technology Report 2013 page 275, Global Economic Forum, Switzerland.
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d) UNDP technology achievement Index (TAI)
Created by UNDP in 2001, the Technology Achievement Index (TAI) aims to capture how well a
country is creating and diffusing technology and building a human skill base—reflecting capacity to
participate in the technological innovations of the network age. This composite index measures
achievements, not potential, effort or inputs. It is not a measure of which country is leading in
global technology development, but focuses on how well the country as a whole is participating
in creating and using technology.
It is calculated from indicators in four categories:

- creation of technology: patents granted per capita and royalty and license fees received
from abroad per capita
- diffusion of recent innovations: calculated from the number of Internet hosts per capita
and the share of high- and medium-technology exports as a percentage of all exports
- diffusion of old innovations: telephones (land line and cellular) per capita and electricity
consumption per capita
- human skills: average number of years of schooling and the gross enrolment ratio at
the tertiary level in science, mathematics and engineering.
The Index categorizes countries into four groups including: Leaders with a TAI value above 0.5,
Potential Leaders (0.35-0.49), Dynamic adopters (0.20-0.34), and the Marginalized (below 0.19).
This indicator is important because it is one of the base indicators selected by Vision 2040 to
measure the countries success in developing a KS.
Indicators in Uganda’s Vision 2040 Current Expected

2010 2040
Technology up-take & diffusion (Technology 0.24 0.5

Achievement Index TAI)
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Practical Exercise on e-readiness

Objective: Understand e-readiness indicators and reflect on the African situation and Uganda’s
relative situation.
Tasks:
• Look at the world rankings, African map and Uganda’s ranking in the different e-readiness
frameworks that were listed. What are your reflections on general world trends?
• Does any specific country in any of the reports have a ranking you were not expecting? Why
do you think that is?
• Regarding Uganda’s rankings, do you think they represent the reality? Why or why not?
Which index do you think represents reality more accurately?
• Compare Uganda’s ranking with Kenya’s, Tanzania’s, Rwanda’s and Burundi’s. What
conclusions can you extract?
• What can you say about Uganda’s IDI index? What might affect its evolution over time?
• Final reflection: do you believe that public policies can affect the countries’ reality – and its
e-readiness ranking- in regards to becoming a Knowledge Society?
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The need of public policies for the development of a

Knowledge Society
Many developing nations have committed to becoming knowledge societies in the near future,
Uganda amongst them by 2025. Developing and implementing public policies for the Knowledge
Society is not an easy task in a constantly changing environment which challenges existing
structures and processes, and is affected by many internal and external factors.
Although in the previous section we have learned that there is plenty of room for growth, the rapid
pace of development and adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) in Africa
and Uganda in the last five years, and especially the widening levels of access to mobile phones
and Internet connectivity, the use of computers in businesses and government offices, and the use
of other mobile devices, has taken many societies unaware about the potentials and requisites to
build a Knowledge Society.
Public policies reflect the gap between the ubiquity of ICT and the governments’ abilities to fully
exploit ICT for the public good, reacting effectively in a timely manner. Remember what we
discussed in the section about Knowledge Societies and their characteristics? In developing
countries creative capacities are tirelessly tested in an effort to identify innovations that will help
nations make leapfrogs in development to catch up with more advanced countries. How
governments support the process to become a KS through public policy can become a determinant
of failure or success. For example, ITU’s annual ICT report Measuring the Information Society 2011
indicated that while ICT and income levels are closely related, getting the right public policy
mix can drive faster take-up. For example, a number of countries, including Australia, Japan,
New Zealand and the Republic of Korea have higher information society development levels than
their income levels would predict. The report says that this “indicates that this should encourage all
countries to proactively promote ICT policies and create an enabling environment for the sector to
grow”.
“Knowledge societies are not emerging in isolation from other large -scale changes including shifts
in economic power, and major political, social and cultural transitions. The policy environment
needs to be flexible enough to ensure that stakeholders do not become locked into unsustainable
pathways. Not all initiatives are concerned with the potential for the empowerment of local
communities or disadvantaged and excluded groups, and not all ICT innovations are benign. Policy
initiatives need to give greater attention to approaches that embrace bottom up participation and
promote education and learning.” UNESCO 2013
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A Policy for the Knowledge Society

So what is a National Information Society Public Policy (NISP)? A NISP can be defined as
“A roadmap, a national, regional, or local plan for the inclusion and appropriation, by
Governments, institutions, communities and individuals, of the benefits derived from the
construction of an Information Society. The KS Policy is a highway, not a harbour. It is a
process, a collaborative, open, and permanent building task. In order to travel this highway, it is
necessary to envision it, to plan and build it, to make it travelable for all the citizens”
IFAP Template, 2009
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP, 1999),
observes that: "Even when promulgated as distinct policy pronouncements, ICT policies of
necessity have to take into account other policy areas, such as education policies, information
policies, trade and investment policies, and cultural and linguistic policies. However, the mere
establishment of a written national ICT policy has value in itself. At a minimum, it conveys the
message that the government is forward-looking and intends to pursue the utilization of ICT in
society. Governments should, of course, aspire to more by putting the policy content into actual
practice and becoming a role model in applying ICT in their own administration and services."
Countries do not only need to build explicit KS Policies; given the particular characteristics of an
knowledge society, they also need to regularly update their public policies. The fast pace of
technological innovation requires a periodical updating and monitoring process. Technological
convergence, wireless access, triple play, interactive television on mobile phones, new services to
citizens, Internet 2.0, traceable devices, wearable technologies, and new software applications are
drastically shifting the terms of the debate not only on access to technologies and citizens’
appropriation of those technologies, but also on access to diversified contents and national
capacities to negotiate and achieve certain level of development.
Explicit public policies functionalities

The construction and updating of explicit public policies for a KS normally has the following stages:
1. Inviting public institutions to make a diagnostic of their situation regarding an information
society, e-readiness, etc., in order to base the public policies on the needs, demands, and
aspirations identified.
2. Relating information society strategies to overall national policies and strategies.
3. Identifying common goals, visions, and missions.
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4. Redressing market failures or insufficiencies through legal and regulation (IFAP Template, 2009)
According to UNESCO’s IFAP National Information Society Policies Template, countries develop
Knowledge Society policies to achieve three main goals:
• To democratize access: To place within the reach of all persons the means to access and
use information and information and communication technologies, guaranteeing the enjoyment
of citizen rights, fostering education, local development, eradication of poverty, gender equity,
digital inclusion, universal access, public transparency and efficiency, and participatory
governance.
• To develop capacities: to create, support and promote strategies, tools and methodologies
to generate capacities and skills to utilize information and information and communication
technologies for all sectors and societal groups, at all levels of formal and informal education,
also disseminating the possibilities provided by different information management models. In
particular, to build capacity for research and technological innovation oriented toward
generating one's own knowledge; and to generate national contents on the part of public
institutions and local contents on the part of different social groups.
• To achieve an adequate legal and regulatory framework: to create the necessary norms
and regulations to guarantee the right to information; to encourage utilization of information
and of information and communication technologies, through relevant legal bodies, creating an
adequate, stable legal setting.
No country starts from zero in the construction and development of a Knowledge

Society. The multiple existing examples, both in developing and developed countries, demonstrate
that each country has its own entrance point. Each local, national and regional reality is unique and
needs a KS Policy adjusted to its circumstances. Policy goals are generally formulated and
implemented following one or more of six essential overall guidelines, which we have adapted from
IFAPs template:
1) The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
2) The 2003 and 2005 World Summit for Information Society (WSIS) Declarations: Geneva
Declaration of Principles, Geneva Plan of Action, Tunis Commitment, and Tunis Agenda for
the Information Society. Other agreements might emerge after WSIS 2013 and the
conferences and meetings in preparation for WSIS 2015.
3) Objectives established by regional associations, EAC, COMESA, African Union, Connect Africa
Goals, New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), among others.
4) Principles and goals established by North-South, North-North and South-South cooperation

programmes between regions. An example is the EU 27 cooperation with Africa (Joint EU –
Africa Strategy, 2007). The European Union and the African Union have thus decided to
develop a co-owned joint strategy which “reflects the needs and aspirations of the peoples of
Africa and Europe”. Particularly relevant is the thematic Partnership on Science, Information
Society and Space.
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5) National development goals, as stated in Uganda 2040 and The National Development plan.
The NDP has many pillars including the infrastructure and reform pillar; Universal Primary
Education; National Health Policy; E-government strategy; Medium-Term Competitive
Strategy for the Private Sector (MTCS) and the strategic Export Intervention Program (SEIP),
Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP), Plan for Modernization of Agriculture (PMA), among
others.
6) Regional (region, district, counties in Uganda) and local development goals, as well as
individual community objectives.
We can summarize by pointing out that the role of the government is to provide an enabling
environment for the development of the Knowledge Society. As we know that a country’s
capacity to create wealth is depending less and less on natural resources and more on capacity to
transform and add value to the resources, science, technology and innovation (STI) should be
encouraged as being key for the advancement of a country. Governments can use their policies and
strategies to build a vision for the country, create a regulatory environment and allocate resources
to implement the policies. In this way they can integrate the public and private sector interests to
provide services to people.
The IFAP Template

The Information for All Programme (IFAP) was established by UNESCO in 2000 to provide a
framework for international co-operation and partnerships in “building an information society for
all”. IFAP’s focus is on ensuring that all people have access to information they can use to enhance
their lives.
Taking into consideration the leading role of governments in partnership with other stakeholders in
implementing the WSIS outcomes (including the Geneva Plan of Action) at the national level, IFAP
encourages those governments that have not yet done so to elaborate, as appropriate,
comprehensive, forward-looking and sustainable national e-strategies, including ICT strategies and
sectoral e-strategies as appropriate , as an integral part of national development plans and poverty
reduction strategies.
The Template (http://ifap-is-observatory.ittk.hu/sites/default/files/NISP_FINAL.pdf) was devised in

2009 to assist in the development of such policies and strategies. The Template fully endorses the
multi-stakeholder approach to the development of the Information Society, however, and
acknowledges that the role of other stakeholders (especially entrepreneurs, network, service and
content providers, but also, of course, civil society and NGOs) is as (if not, in some cases, more)
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important as that of governments. Nevertheless, this depends on the specific circumstances, and
also on the stage of the process of developing the Information Society, in any particular country.
The emphasis in this Template is primarily on what governments and the civil service should do and
this was a deliberate choice, in keeping with the approach adopted in the Tunis Agenda for the
Information Society, given that the document may be most useful in countries where the role of
government policy and of the public sector is especially important
The Information Society Observatory (http://ifap-is-observatory.ittk.hu/), is continuously updated

with new, relevant strategic documents, events, books and experiences, annotations and links,
following the development of the field. Once a year, IFAP publishes Information Society Policies
Annual World Report that will summarize latest trends, fresh approaches and experiences, new
phenomena and concepts, and the important features and patterns of different practices
worldwide.
Practical exercise:
- What do you think is the role of Uganda’s government in the development of the KS?
Why is that role needed?
- Go back and look at the mission and vision of the draft ICT Policy 2012. Do you believe
it can be considered as a base for a KS Policy?
- Can you mention examples of local development goals that may be related to building a
KS?
Areas of government intervention

In general, we can say that a KS Policy is developed around the following main themes or areas:
• Telecommunications infrastructure: develop and support the telecommunications
market through transparency and competition, properly managing the electromagnetic
spectrum so that innovation can take place (i.e. deployment of Wi-max networks),
coordination of infrastructure layout, support the development of regional and local
networks, backbones, international links, compliance with standards, Internet governance,
etc.
• Developing the IT industry and related services: develop local industry for hardware,
software and related services, encourage public agencies to develop e-government
applications, allowing people and businesses to access government services and conduct
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business with the government online, developing products and services that can be
exported.
• Promoting the applications of IT in all critical areas: by supporting e-government, e-
business, e-education, e-commerce, e-agriculture, e-health, R&D, innovation, e-science and
in general, supporting the use of IT in all the critical government areas.
• Making sure citizens are enabled to become active participants of the KS by:
o Promoting Access and measures that help reduce the digital and access divide:
access strategies like e-rates, providing free access for schools and hospitals,
setting up Telecentres in critical locations, using its buying power for aggregated
bandwidth acquisition, creating a Universal access fund and administering it to
make sure all citizens and all regions have equal access, making sure all country is
covered, developing programmes to connect minorities, content and culture
preservation strategies.
o Training and educating the citizens in ICT. Government should play a catalytic role
in making access to the Knowledge Society a reality by enabling acquisition of the
requisite skills, aptitude and education, to make sure citizens are able to use
technology properly. Basic ICT training is needed, but also business management
and organizations using ICTs; life-long education and training in courses,
professions and skills related to the IS, technical training and specific training to
develop the IT industry.
According to Uganda’s ICT Policy Draft (2012) the areas of government intervention are grouped as
follows:
a) Information and communication infrastructure
b) Access to information and knowledge
c) Capacity building
d) Building of confidence and security in the use of ICTs
e) Requisite enabling environment
f) ICT applications in all aspects of life by embracing e-government, e-commerce, e-
learning, e-health, e-employment, e-environment, e-agriculture and e-health
g) Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content
h) Media
i) Ethical dimensions of the Information Society
j) International and regional cooperation.
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In the following sections we will discuss several of the intervention areas planned for Uganda in
more detail. They are mostly based on the draft ICT Policy 2012, but have been edited and
grouped under different criteria.
a) Information and communications (ICT) infrastructure;

An adequate telecommunications network is critical for the development of a Knowledge Society, as
it provides the infrastructure that enables knowledge to be easily created and shared. We
have seen in some of the e-readiness indexes seem to indicate that in fact this is one of Uganda’s
main weaknesses. In the coming years Uganda will have to make available a good, solid, and fast
Internet access (broadband) network covering most of its territory, and this is a major undertaking
for any country.
According to the ICT 2012 draft Policy “In recognition of the crucial role that easy access to
relevant information and efficient communications play in supporting human development, it is
government policy to ensure equitable and affordable access to telecommunication services for
all the citizens of Uganda through an enabled and competitive private sector.”
The 2012 draft ICT Policy presents some of the current statistics on Ugandan ICT infrastructure:
- Mobile Penetration (per 100 people) - 50.5
- Fixed penetration (per 100 people) - 0.48
- Internet Penetration (per 100 people) - 21.48 (2012)
- Internet users 7.5 million (2012 ) 20% of population
- Internet wireless/mobile subscriptions – 1.5 million
- Fixed internet subscribers- 90,000
- Broadband Penetration - 9% (2012)
- PC Penetration (Number of PCs per 100) – 2.3 (2012)
- Computers Assembled in Uganda - < 500,000
- Number of registered ICT companies - 350
General African infrastructure trends:

• Africa has one of the most dynamic telecommunications sectors in the world. Broadband
(mainly mobile) is replacing dial-up as the preferred access method, and this process is
already virtually completed in the more developed markets. According to the ITU for 2013,
cell phones are used by 63% of the population, internet users are about 16%, broadband
users stand at about 11,2% of the population (10,9% mobile and 0,3% fixed). Of course
these are averages, with major differences in terms of ICT development within the region.
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• The average price of fixed-broadband services in Sub-Saharan Africa fell by more than 50%
in the last 5 years, but services remain far too expensive for many, with prices in 2012
equivalent to almost three times average incomes. Access to submarine cables has reduced
the average price but not as much as initially expected.
• The growth in the African telecommunications landscape can be attributed to a number of
factors including the liberalization of the telecommunication markets, the subsequent
introduction of mobile cellular technologies and the arrival of submarine fiber optic cables
to connect the continent to the rest of the world. A quote by the Secretary General of the
ITU is instructive. According to Mr. Hamadoun I. Touré of ITU: “The growth in telephone
access in Africa has been largely fuelled by mobile cellular communications. The change
has been so rapid that it has caught many by surprise. From just two countries in 1999,
there were 33 African countries that had more mobile than fixed-line telephone subscribers
in 2004, more than any other region. The wireless boom has been caused by the
combination of sector liberalization—which has seen the licensing of multiple cellular
operators in most African markets—and service innovation in the form of pre-paid cards.
Africa’s challenge is to sustain this high mobile growth and extend it to other sectors such
as the Internet.”
• Africa is now served by more than five submarine cables, up from just one five years ago.
Governments and private sector are busy building national backbone networks in most part
of Africa. Nevertheless, there is still plenty of room for growth. An assessment conducted
by ITU in 2007 concluded that, in addition to the existing infrastructure, Africa needs at
least 52,040 kilometers of backbone infrastructure for connectivity within and among
countries. ITU estimates that some 55% of the total rural population of sub-Saharan Africa
remains without access to ICT. New wireless technologies promise to offer new possibilities
for extending access to rural areas.
Practical exercise:
Analyze the Ugandan general telecommunications statistics in comparison with the African
trends in each of the categories. What are your reflections?
ICT Infrastructure intervention areas
“To ensure efficient management and utilization of telecommunications resources for sustainable
socio – economic development” Objective defined in Uganda’s 2012 Draft ICT Policy
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Telecommunications Market action lines:
- Maintain a fully liberalized sub-sector in order to attract additional investment in the sector
- Further strengthen a legal and regulatory environment that supports development of
Uganda’s Telecommunications sub- sector
- Review, existing legal framework to provide a competitive environment that facilitates and
encourages investment in the telecommunications sector; support and promote a
liberalized, competitive and innovative telecommunications sector
- Promote a pricing and tariff regime that incorporates fair interconnection rates and
facilitates the achievement of affordable telecommunications services, including special
pricing models for education and health (E- rate pricing model)
- Provide incentives such as tax relief for network infrastructure, ICT development,
application tools and software, and reduction of excise tax as well as VAT on ICT end-user
equipment in order to improve access and affordability
- Provide for a legal and policy framework for government to monitor and establish a
baseline for collection of revenue from national and international telecommunication traffic.
- Enforce fair and efficient management of scarce resources such as spectrum, numbering
and rights of way
- Enhancing public private partnership in delivery of ICT infrastructure and services
Interconnection and Backbones:
- Establishment of a centralized mechanism to plan, build and manage all the public
communications Infrastructure in a coordinated manner
- Encourage participation of the private sector in IT infrastructure development (shared
public private investment in infrastructure)
- Optimize the operations of the national Internet Exchange Point and participate in the
establishment of regional and international Internet Exchange Points;
- Integration of the communication, broadcasting and Information infrastructure and systems
(convergence). Implement the migration roadmap from analogue to digital broadcasting
- Promotion of reliable and affordable ICT infrastructure in rural, remote and other
underserved areas;
- Extension of the national backbone infrastructure (NBI) to cover the entire country as well
as addressing last mile challenges. The project involves building a 1536 Kms of Optical
Fiber Cable across the country to build the National Data Transmission Backbone; Optical
Fiber connections from Kampala-Busia/Malaba Border to connect Uganda to Kenya,
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Kampala-Nimule, to connect Uganda to Southern Sudan and Kampala-Katuna to connect

Uganda to Rwanda, making Internet accessible and affordable to the majority of Ugandans.
- Optimize the connectivity to the undersea fiber optic cables on the East African coast (see
map below)
Figure 9: Uganda backbone Map
Uganda backbone map source: http://www.nita.go.ug/new/index.php/projects/nbiegi-project KEY : Phase I

Yellow, Phase II Blue Phase III Green
Figure 10: African submarine cable layout
Submarine cables in Africa source: TeleGeography -

http://www.submarinecablemap.com
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Some notes on the backbone: According to NITA (2011) the backbone will lower the cost of Internet
bandwidth for Government and targeted user groups such as Schools, Universities, Hospitals, Research
Institutions, etc., provide high speed internet bandwidth to support Information technology enabled
services such as Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), which will create jobs and earn foreign exchange, it
will enhance efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery to the citizens of Uganda through electronic
transactions such as; e-taxation, e-health, and e-learning, will improve collaboration within Government
through services such as unified messaging and collaboration services as well as enhance efficiency and
effectiveness of service delivery to the citizens of Uganda through electronic transactions such as e-
taxation, e-health, and e-learning, and last but not the least; it will facilitate business transactions
nationally and internationally through the adoption of E-commerce.
Internet Governance
- In cooperation with the relevant stakeholders, promote regional root servers and the use of
internationalized domain names in order to overcome barriers to access
- Streamline the management of the dot UG Country Code Top Level Domain name (.UG
ccTLD) in line with international best practices
- Put in place mechanisms to ensure that the country is ready for the transition to the next
generation global Internet delivery mechanisms including Internet Protocol Version 6 (IPv6)
address space
- Promote the development and use of open, interoperable, non-discriminatory and demand-
driven standards
- Consolidate reforms in the institutional, policy, legal and regulatory environment for ICT
sector/industry
Additional readings:
• Interactive online submarine maps by TeleGeography http://www.submarinecablemap.com/
• ITU Connect Africa Goals set for 2015, http://www.itu.int/ITU-
D/connect/africa/2007/goals.html
b) Developing a local IT Industry

Uganda has immense growth prospects for developing world-class Information Technology (IT)
industry and services so as to contribute substantially to her economic growth. In Vision 2040
Uganda expects to achieve ICT goods and services as 40% of the total exports.
Action lines:
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- To promote the development of the hardware and software industry. Promote ICT
industrial production and assembling. Promote software and applications development.
- Support the development of local capacity for the manufacturing of ICT products, creating
software applications, as well as creating innovative services for local and export markets
- Partner with the private sector in devising innovative and productive ways of establishing a
competitive local ICT industry so as to guarantee Uganda’s effective participation in the
global economy
- To promote the utilization of Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) to support
Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) as a key intervention for job creation; ITES/BPO is an
outsourcing model that uses information technology (IT), typically over the Internet, in the
delivery of the outsourced process, like data entry, customer support, translation, etc.
- Design and implementation of ICT research and innovation activities. Set up ICT parks to
support research and development as well as innovation.
c) Legal and Regulatory Framework

The collection of laws and regulations related to the digital world are called cyber legislation.
Laws are needed to bring order to the telecommunications market, to protect citizen’s rights in the
new media, to conduct online commerce, to stimulate digital content development, for consumer
protection, telework, privacy, digital signature, among others. Most countries have existing national
legislation for most of these areas, which can be more or less easily adapted, updated and/or
adjusted for the digital world, but providing a proper legal environment to protect the rights of
businesses and individuals is critical for the development of a knowledge society. Uganda is a
leader in the region with its laws on Cyber-crime, Electronic transactions and digital signature.
Other than that the ICT Policy 2012 draft mentions:
- Legislation that address privacy and data protection, intellectual property rights and update
existing legislation to cater for cyber-crime ;
References: Uganda’s Computer Misuse Act, Electronic Transaction Act, Digital signature, Access to
information Act
d) ICT applications in all aspects of life

ICT applications can support sustainable development, in the fields of public administration,
business, education and training, health, employment, environment, agriculture and science within
the framework of national e-strategies. This will include actions within the following sectors:
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E-government
ICT-enabled public service delivery - e-government- if implemented effectively, can improve access
to public services, increase efficiency, transparency and accountability of government and political
processes and empower citizens by enabling them to participate in the decision-making processes
of governments.
The ICT draft policy mentions:

• Implement e-government strategies focusing on applications aimed at innovating and
promoting transparency in public administrations and democratic processes, improving
efficiency and strengthening relations with citizens
• Develop national e-government initiatives and services, at all levels, adapted to the needs
of citizens and business, to achieve a more efficient allocation of resources and public
goods
• Support international cooperation initiatives in the field of e-government, in order to
enhance transparency, accountability and efficiency at all levels of government.
Among the challenges facing those who seek to apply new technologies to the realities of
governance in developing countries are the reluctance of civil servants to change. We cannot forget
that ICTs change the way things are done and in many cases this might mean less power, influence
or money for those in public service that are involved in some of the old non-digital processes.
Change in government organizations is not easy and we must make sure that political and cultural
barriers are recognized and taken care of.
Other concerns include the digital divide (making sure everyone can have access to government
services) and privacy and security (providing mechanisms to recognize the identity of individuals
and organizations online).
For example Uganda listed the main concerns in the e-government framework itself, and they are:
Cyber crime and cyber terrorism; undefined cross-border jurisdiction for cyber litigation; reliance on
imported hardware and software; reliance on foreign funding; unharmonised ICT Policies and
Strategies; inadequate infrastructure; adverse cultural beliefs and languages; inadequate funding;
inadequate human resources and inadequate Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) frameworks.
Case study: E-Governance - The Case of DistrictNet in Uganda By IICD (2007)

http://www.iicd.org/about/publications/e-governance-the-case-of-districtnet-in-uganda
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E-Commerce
As we have seen in the e-readiness section, ICT business development can be a key indicator of KS
development. This includes companies directly related to the digital world like telecommunication
businesses, but also software developers, hardware vendors or assemblers, content developers,
multimedia and digital media developers. But this also includes how traditional businesses,
especially small ones, can adopt digital tools to improve processes, be more efficient and sell
online, for example.
The ICT draft policy mentions:

• Promote the benefits of international trade and the use of e-commerce, and promote the
use of local e-commerce models
• Through the adoption of an enabling environment, and based on widely available Internet
access, seek to stimulate private sector investment, foster new applications, content
development and public/private partnerships;
• Provide assistance to, and growth of SMMEs, in the ICT industry, as well as their entry into
e-commerce, to stimulate economic growth and job creation as an element of a strategy
for poverty reduction through wealth creation.
Case studies: Uganda post selling stamps http://www.ugapost.co.ug/?p=stmpsbru / Paper Craft

Uganda http://www.papercraftafrica.com/ / Banana Boat shop
http://www.bananaboat.co.ug/home.php
ICT in Education
“The African Union has a vision of an integrated, peaceful, prosperous Africa, driven by its own
people to take its rightful place in the global community and the knowledge economy. This vision is
predicated on the development of Africa’s human resources. Education is the chief means by which
Africa’s citizenry are prepared for their respective roles in the attainment of this vision” African
Union, Draft plan of action 2006.
Action lines:
• Review curricula at primary, secondary and tertiary levels in order to improve the quality of
education and introduce new learning methods
• Improve the level of investment of educational ICT equipment, software as well as
broadband connectivity of primary, secondary and tertiary institutions
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• Impart teachers with the necessary ICT skills in order to enable them use ICTs in the
teaching and learning process
• Establish educational networks for sharing educational resources
• Promote the growth and implementation of e-learning
• Create opportunities and providing assistance for the disadvantaged, people with special
needs, women and the youth to acquire ICT skills.
Related documents: Uganda’s Revised Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) of 2007-2015
ICT in Health
We define e-Health as the use of ICT to enable, support and deliver health services to patients and
populations. Investment in ICT serves to amplify the impact of existing resources by improving
accuracy, extending services to underserved areas, and cutting waste and redundancy. ICT could
also be used to address the main obstacles to providing affordable quality healthcare in African
countries.
Action lines:
• Promote collaborative efforts of government, planners, health professionals, and other
agencies for creating a reliable, timely, high quality and affordable health care and health
information systems and for promoting continuous medical training, education, and
research through the use of ICTs, while respecting and protecting citizens‟ right to privacy
• Facilitate access to the world’s medical knowledge and locally-relevant content resources
for strengthening public health research and prevention programmes and promoting
women’s and men’s health, such as content on sexual and reproductive health and sexually
transmitted infections, and for diseases that attract full attention of the world including
HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis
• Alert, monitor and control the spread of communicable diseases, through the improvement
of common information systems
• Promote the development of international standards for the exchange of health data,
taking due account of privacy concerns
• Encourage the adoption of ICTs to improve and extend health care and health information
systems to remote and underserved areas and vulnerable populations, recognizing
women’s roles as health providers in their families and communities
• Strengthen and expand ICT-based initiatives for providing medical and humanitarian
assistance in disasters and emergencies.
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Case studies: e-health society Uganda http://www.ehealthsociety.ug/ / Health workers, mobile

phones and HIV http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2674572/
E-employment
Telework is a relatively recent trend enabled by Internet that allows some professionals to work
from home; it has positive effects on costs, time efficiency and the reduction of traffic jams in big
cities. It also favors the inclusion of mothers, people with physical disabilities, and in general,
people who have difficulties for traveling to work on a daily basis or living in rural areas.
Action lines:
• Encourage the development of best practices for e-workers and e-employers built, at the
national level, on principles of fairness and gender equality, respecting all relevant
international norms
• Promote new ways of organizing work and business with the aim of raising productivity,
growth and well-being through investment in ICTs and human resources
• Promote teleworking to allow citizens, particularly in the developing countries, LDCs, and
small economies, to live in their societies and work anywhere, and to increase employment
opportunities for women, and for those with disabilities. In promoting teleworking, special
attention should be given to strategies promoting job creation and the retention of the
skilled working force
• Promote early intervention programmes in science and technology that should target young
girls to increase the number of women in ICT carriers.
ICT and the Environment
E-waste is becoming an increasingly problematic area in Africa, where components containing

dangerous materials and being discarded incorrectly. Some countries have developed e-waste
management policies or guidelines like Uganda. Other areas of concern are carbon emission of
equipment and alternative energy sources like wind or solar.
Action lines:
• Implement efficient management and disposal of E-waste in line with the E-waste
management policy
• Utilize ICT to minimize environmental degradation and manage natural disasters
• Collaborate with relevant institutions to establish recycling centers and educate the public
through the media on how to ensure that the environment is protected
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• Setup an e-waste management fund to which all importers of electronic equipment shall
contribute
• Establish monitoring systems, using ICTs, to forecast and monitor the impact of natural and
man-made disasters.
Related documents: Uganda’s e-waste policy, Rwanda e-waste policy, Kenya e-waste guidelines
ICT in Agriculture
ICTs can be used at different stages of the agricultural cycle: Pre-cultivation (crop selection, land
selection, calendar definition, access to credit), Crop cultivation and harvesting (land preparation
and sowing, weather forecast, water management and fertilization, pest management) and Post-
harvest (including sales, aggregated sales, storage, marketing, transportation, packaging, food
processing, tracking, export).
Action lines:
• Ensure the systematic dissemination of information using ICTs on agriculture, animal
husbandry, fisheries, forestry and food, in order to provide ready access to comprehensive,
up-to-date and detailed knowledge and information, particularly in rural areas; and
• Public-private partnerships should seek to maximize the use of ICTs as an instrument to
improve production (quantity and quality).
Case studies: Infotrade Uganda, a commodity exchange platform http://www.infotradeuganda.com

- The Power of Mobile: Saving Uganda's Banana Crop http://blogs.worldbank.org/ic4d/the-power-
of-mobile-saving-ugandas-banana-crop
ICT in Science and innovation
According to UNESCO (2003), Innovation is a national affair. The major driving forces in the
formulation of innovation strategies are national governments. Numerous countries have
established commissions or committees dealing with the creation of an innovative society.
Innovation is about science and technology: New government programmes increase public
spending for scientific research, IT infrastructure and efficient patent systems. The state tries to
coordinate and foster interactions between the government, universities, and the private sector.
Innovation is primarily an economic concept: Key goals pursued through innovation within the
private sector are new ideas, new alliances, and new markets. The main objective of this kind of
innovation policy is to formulate proactive strategies designed to create, expand, and maintain
systemic competitiveness in the economic field.
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In brief, the term innovation can be defined as a “descriptive umbrella notion” covering a series of
complex and interrelated economic, governance changes underway in various countries aimed at
ensuring systemic and reinforced competitiveness in a global economic environment. A vast
majority of highly industrialized countries have set up so-called National Innovation Systems (NISs)
in order to analyze and react to technical change. The main objectives of such innovation policies
are to create jobs, to reduce public expenses, to improve efficiency and operational methods, to
generate publicity, and to increase the satisfaction of citizens. The basic “principle” of most of the
related documentation and reports is that in the 21st century the ability to innovate will
separate economic leaders from the rest. In Africa, coordinating activities that are taking
place include UNESCO sponsored First Africa Forum on Science Technology and Innovations in
2012.
Related action lines in the draft 2012 ICT Policy:

• Promote affordable and reliable high-speed Internet connection for all universities and
research institutions to support their critical role in information and knowledge production,
education and training, and to support the establishment of partnerships, cooperation and
networking between these institutions
• Promote electronic publishing, differential pricing and open access initiatives to make
scientific information affordable and accessible in all countries on an equitable basis
• Promote the use of peer-to-peer technology to share scientific knowledge and pre-prints
and reprints written by scientific authors who have waived their right to payment
• Promote the long-term systematic and efficient collection, dissemination and preservation
of essential scientific digital data, for example, population and meteorological data in all
countries
• Promote principles and metadata standards to facilitate cooperation and effective use of
collected scientific information and data as appropriate to conduct scientific research.
Related documents: Uganda Science, Technology and Innovation Policy (2009), Global Innovation
Index 2013
e) IT Education
UNESCO defines the importance of the population knowing how to use technology as
“Empowerment of people through Media and Information Literacy (MIL) is an important
prerequisite for fostering equitable access to information and knowledge and promoting free,
independent and pluralistic media and information systems”
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“Manpower development is imperative for the local IT industry to take root on a large scale in
Uganda. For the country to achieve and maintain the position of an important player in the
international IT market. A large pool of skilled manpower is required for all components of the IT
industry and it has to be geared to meet both local and export needs. However, currently the
professional IT human resource in both public and private sectors is inadequate lacks relevant
professional skills. There is a high rate of IT illiteracy in both public and private sectors, which is
characterized by a digital divide between urban and rural areas, as well as between men and
women.” ICT Policy 2012
Action lines:
• Develop a comprehensive plan for human resource development in IT to meet present and
future manpower needs
• Devise and implement a scheme for distributing affordable computers and Internet access
to all academic institutions
• Encourage educational institutions to automate their management systems
• Establish a national educational network to enable sharing among educational institutions
of e-libraries, teaching and tutorial systems
• Strengthen existing IT training institutions and setup new IT centers of excellence in all
districts in Uganda to develop the requisite skills in various IT aspects including software
and hardware development, network management and security through in-service training
• Encourage academic institutions to embrace e-learning so as to enable equitable regional
access to IT training in all parts of the country
• Ensure inclusion of a comprehensive and regularly updated computer literacy module in the
curriculum at all levels of education using international benchmarks as reference
• Promote “Training of Trainers” scheme to boost capacity building in IT
• Advocate for training and re-training of all personnel in the Justice, Law and Order Sector
(JLOS) in applying and using IT to improve the delivery of justice
• Encourage IT companies to play a significant role in IT education through internship and
industrial training schemes
• Ensure equal opportunity in basic IT training at all levels taking into consideration special
interest groups namely; Women, Youth and PWDs.
f) Access to information and knowledge

“Universal service” refers to the availability of affordable communications services for all citizens on
a personal basis (within the home or through personal ownership).
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“Universal access” refers to the availability of affordable communications services for all citizens
within the community in which they live but not necessarily on an individual basis (i.e.: Telecentres
or public access points).
Deepening utilization of ICT services by government, private sector, not-for profit
organizations and the wider citizenry
Action lines:
• Development of a national e-government strategy and master plan
• Awareness creation and mindset change
• Increasing penetration of ICT equipment, services and applications
• Partner with the private sector to support the development of the nation’s human resources
including promoting private sector investment in education as well as in R&D;
• Develop provisions for regulation of value added services provided over

telecommunications networks, like Mobile money
• Promote the development of telecommunications products and services in local languages.
Universal access
Uganda has been implementing the Rural Communications Development Policy (2001 and 2010)
that addresses universal access among others. Although commendable progress has been made,
substantial gaps still exist, especially in broadband access.
To this end, the following strategies are lined up:

• Roll out the last-mile broadband access countrywide in the shortest possible time
• Subsidize infrastructure deployment including broadband that would foster universal

access/service
• Encourage Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to provide access to the network-based

services from even the most remote locations in the country
• Utilize existing infrastructure (Post Offices, Schools, Hospitals) to extend universal

access/service
• Provide computers in public places (e.g. post offices, schools, public libraries, etc.) in small
and large communities to help low-income segments of society gain access to the internet
and for business, educational and other purposes
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• Establish an independent Universal Access Service Fund for the converged industry for
effective and efficient delivery of services to un-served and underserved areas of the
country.
• Promote value added services, access to information and service needs to all sectors of
society especially the marginalized sections of society (rural or low income communities
and people with disabilities).
Case study: Telecentres, Access and Development - Experience and Lessons from Uganda and
South Africa by IDRC (2005) http://web.idrc.ca/openebooks/189-2/
Access, Promotion and awareness
Put in place mechanisms to promote IT awareness and reduce the digital divide between urban and
rural, urban and urban, men and women.
Action lines:
• Promote IT usage in government by ensuring that all top leaders in government make
transform the institutions under their control by automating their work as a priority
• Encourage production of local content in local languages over the Internet

• Establishing interactive for a for all government offices to share information on new
technologies and their benefits
• Encourage utilization and expansion of start-up activities set up by the government
• Mobilize and sensitize communities about the importance of usage of IT in their day-to-day
economic activities
• Facilitate and encourage the use of IT by special interest groups to make them more
productive in the society and utilize this largely untapped human resource. (Special interest
groups include: women, youth and PWDs);
• Encourage use of open source software and low cost commercial versions of software for
normal operations
• Encourage the setting up of a “content industry”, comprising of local content and
translation to local languages
• Encourage the use of Internet and Intranet for inter-office communication within
government.
Women, youth and PWD
• Promote ICT as an alternative career for women, youth and PWDs in the informal and
formal educational system
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• Encourage creativity and innovation around ICTs among women, youth and PWDs leading
to entrepreneurship development
• Enable full and equal participation of women, youth and PWDs in creating the Information
society
• Implement special ICT training programs for women, youth and PWDs
• Facilitate and encourage the development of electronic networks and systems for
associations and organizations engaged in the advancement of women, youth and PWDs
issues in the country
Case studies: ICT Works article “Citizen election reporting in Kenya was a breakthrough in online-
offline collaboration” http://www.ictworks.org/2013/05/13/citizen-election-reporting-in-kenya-was-
a-breakthrough-in-online-offline-collaboration/
g) Preservation of Heritage, Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity

and local content
The Internet offers access to a myriad of content from all over the world. But local content relevant
to local communities and in local languages can be under represented or non-existent. Therefore
other areas of critical government interventions are those related to local languages and culturally-
specific Internet content. Governments can help by encouraging content creation, especially of local
content with cultural value, supporting content in local languages, and helping communities
preserve their own heritage using technology.
Specific action lines in the ICT Policy 2012:

• Develop a cultural policy that promotes the production of cultural, educational and scientific
content and the development of local cultural industries suited to the linguistic and cultural
context of the users
• Develop a national policy and laws to ensure that libraries, archives, museums and other
cultural institutions play their full role of content - including traditional knowledge -
providers in the Information Society, more particularly by providing continued access to
recorded information
• Support efforts to develop and use ICTs for the preservation of natural and cultural
heritage, keeping it accessible as a living part of today’s culture. This includes developing
systems for ensuring continued access to archived digital information and multimedia
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content in digital repositories, and support archives, cultural collections and libraries as the
memory of humankind
• Provide content that is relevant to the cultures and languages of individuals in the Uganda,
through access to traditional and digital media services
• Through public/private partnerships, foster the creation of varied local and national
content, including that available in the language of users, and give recognition and support
to ICT-based work in all artistic fields
Related documents: In 2003 UNESCO General Conference adopted a recommendation concerning

the Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and Universal Access to Cyberspace. The same year,
countries also agreed on a Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage.
Case study: Four communities in Uganda commence inventory making of their intangible cultural
heritage
http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/en/news/Four%20communities%20in%20Uganda%20commenc
e%20inventory%20making%20of%20their%20intangible%20cultura-00043
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Policy implementation
The implementation of a policy or strategy is the time to put the guidelines into practice. Finally the
moment has arrived to use the assigned budget in order to carry on the activities planned in
previous phases. In this stage, the main tool is the political will to support the proposed goals, to
assign human, economic and technological resources to implement the previously agreed policy,
and to encourage the maintenance and strengthening of the established alliances between the
multiple participating stakeholders.
“The social and economic challenges facing Uganda and the opportunities that ICTs offer pose
complex policy choices for the nation. The country has to address the implementation of this policy
and mainstreaming of ICTs amid strong competition for limited financial resources from other
sectors. Therefore, the successful achievement of the National ICT Policy goals and objectives
depend on an integrated and wholesome approach during implementation underpinned by
developing strategic synergies and partnerships between the public and private sector as well as
civil society.” draft ICT Policy 2012
In general the implementation phase gathers all the aspects related to the implementation of the
KS Policy as planned in the elaboration stage, through a set of instruments and actions. In this
phase, the implementation does not depend so much on the civil servants or governmental bodies
entrusted with the construction of the KS Policy, nor on Experts’ Team, but on the government and
other social actors.
Generic implementation actions:

• Choosing or creating a body (an agency or organization) to carry on the policies and
strategies proposed by the KS Policy. This organization is usually coordinated by the
government, but it includes multisectoral stakeholders: enterprises, universities, NGOs, etc.
• Establishing goals and beneficiaries: Goals are the reason for the policy to exist; the
beneficiaries are the individuals, communities and organizations that will benefit from the
KS Policies implementation.
• Planning actions and activities to achieve the goals, concrete programs and projects, as
priority areas: e-government, e-health, cybersecurity, etc.
• Establishing legislation changes to make feasible the KS Policy proposal
Note: Implementation actions vary in each policy or strategy
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The outcomes of the implementation phase are:

• New or updated legislations on an information society
• The total or partial concretization of the KS Policy, through concrete initiatives and projects
• The designation of control agencies for monitoring and assessment
• Communication of the KS Policies to the population, in order to obtain citizens’ involvement
In the case of Uganda, Section 6 of the Draft ICT Policy 2012 details an implementation framework
that defines the roles, responsibilities and functions of all the involved stakeholders, as follows:
• Ministry of ICT: Overall coordination of formulation, implementation, review, target setting
and oversight. Specifically the Ministry of ICT in collaboration with/through its Agencies
(NITA-U and UCC/Broadcasting Council)
• National IT Authority: Oversee the implementation of IT sub sector priorities and regulate
the IT sub-sector in relation to the broad responsibilities of the Ministry of ICT.
• Uganda Communications Commission/Broadcasting Council: Oversee implementation of
communications and broadcasting sector priorities and to regulate the communications,
broadcasting subsector in relation to the broad responsibilities of the Ministry of ICT.
• Parliament: Effective legislation, legal Framework, among other tasks
• Judiciary: assist with delivery of justice, dispute resolution.
• Cabinet/Government: provide political and economic will, vision and leadership to facilitate
and drive the ICT for Development process in order to speed up the development of
Uganda’s information society
• Ministry of Finance: resource mobilization and allocation
• National Council of Science & Technology: oversee the science and technology research in
the country
• Ministry of Education: oversee training and human resource development
• District Administration and Local Authorities: Information plays an important role in the
governance (decentralization of power) process of the country. In this regard, access to
information, ICT tools and services form the backbone for governance and citizen’s
participation in national, regional and global affairs. Therefore, district administrations and
local authorities in collaboration with the Ministry of ICT (and its Agencies) shall work
closely with Central Government, private sector, civil society and other partners to
implement this policy
• Development Partners: Mobilize technical and financial resources, Support the effective
participation of Uganda in international fora, among other tasks.
• Private Sector: is a key partner to Government is recognized as having a critical role in the
process of developing Uganda’s information society and economy. The private sector is
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expected among other things: to serve as the key driver for the development of the
Ugandan economy by providing domestic and foreign investments in ICT services and
infrastructure development; and facilitate the mobilization of funding/ investments to
implement ICT initiatives outlined in this policy.
• Academia and Research Institutions: continue to support science and innovation.
• Civil Society: a fundamental element in the preservation of human development and
consolidation of governance systems. The challenges that face civil society in this area are
related to: low literacy levels especially in the rural areas and the underserved poor urban
communities; inadequate telecommunication facilities, electricity and road network
infrastructure and the weak institutional coordination mechanisms.
• Media : plays an important part in Uganda’s social and economic development process,
especially with respect to information dissemination
As a final note, the Ministry of ICT (and its Agencies) shall be responsible for coordinating resource
mobilization in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development for
implementing the National ICT Plan. This shall include coordinating investments, providing for
equitable and transparent resource allocation as well as monitoring and evaluation.
Monitoring and evaluation

Assessment or control is the method by which governments and society may judge the real
worthiness or credit of governmental (or multi-stakeholder) actions. Many countries are concerned
about measuring the effective impacts of a KS Policy, remember the TAI index we discussed in the
e-readiness section and how it related to actual achievement? The evaluation process implies a
systematic examination of the KS Policy objectives and its results, an analysis of the distance
between the actual results and the expected results. This distance may result from the impact of
random elements and/or the government’s or designated responsible organization’s handling of
certain obstacles. In general, the monitoring and evaluation processes measure the distance
between the actual implementation of policy and the initial plan, and the economic effects
generated by the policy executed.
Monitoring
It is important to consider that generally there is no data available to consider the long-term effects
of the KS Policy. Therefore, further than the accurate evaluation of the KS Policy implementation
results, a complete analysis or monitoring during several years can be necessary.
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Monitoring provides information that will be useful in:

• Analyzing the situation in the country or community;
• Determining whether the inputs in the KS Policy are well utilized;
• Identifying problems faced by the implementation of the KS Policy and finding solutions;
• Ensuring that all activities are carried out properly by the right people and on schedule;
• Using lessons from the experience to update the KS Policy, its strategies and tactics;
• Determining whether the way the KS Policy implementation was planned is the most
appropriate way of achieving the goals.
Evaluation
The evaluation should provide a clear picture of the extent to which the intended objectives of the
KS Policy actions and policies have been achieved. Evaluation can and should be done before,
during and after implementation.
• Before implementing the KS Policy, the evaluation is needed in order to assess the
possible consequences of the planned KS Policy to the country over a given period of time
and assist in making decisions on how the policy will be implemented.
• During the KS Policy implementation, evaluation should be a continuous process and
should take place in all the implementation activities. This enables the organization in
charge to review progressively the strategies according to the changing circumstances in
order to attain the desired activity and objectives, and eventually to modify or relocate the
financial, human, and technological resources.
• After the implementation of the KS Policy, the evaluation should be used to assess the
Policy planning and implementation process, as well as its results after its implementation.
In the case of Uganda, the draft ICT Policy indicates that the Ministry of ICT shall carry out
monitoring and evaluation at different levels of the impact of implementation of this policy. A
monitoring and evaluation framework shall be developed to ascertain medium and long term impact
of the policy across Government. The policy shall receive a mid-term review every three (3) years
and a long term review every five (5) years in order to cater for the fast rate of technology
innovation and advancement. The Policy documents proposes a series of indicators to measure
over time.
Page 54 of 74
Summary
This document has been conceived to support two sessions on Knowledge Societies and Policy for
an executive training that took place in Uganda in July 2013. However it is our intention that the
training manual be useful for anyone interested in the subject.
At the end of this training session, we hope that participants will be better informed to take part in
building Public Policies for Knowledge Societies, to understand the role of governments in
supporting the development of a knowledge society (KS), to analyze e-readiness indicators in order
to analyze the state of the art concerning KS in the world, Africa and particularly Uganda; to
apprehend the necessity of Public policies for Knowledge Societies; to analyze the diverse areas of
government intervention for the development of a KS; to understand the content of Uganda’s ICT
Policy draft 2012 as a base for a KS Policy; and to critically reflect on the knowledge acquired.
The Ugandan government has done a tremendous work in developing a series of policies, laws and
plans to become a KS in 2025, and to fulfill its development objectives in 2040. It is fundamental
that the Ugandan present and future KS leaders continue to contribute to this effort, knowing that
in a rapidly changing environment public policies need to be constantly monitored, evaluated and
updated in order to be effective and satisfy the objectives.
In brief, participants will be hopefully better prepared to fulfill their roles as educated leaders on
Knowledge Society in their country and region.
Page 55 of 74
Practical Workshop on the Knowledge Society and related

policies in Uganda
The practical component of this workshop consists of three activities that allow a reflection on the
subjects discussed and help build up the participants’ awareness on the areas of intervention and
the types of intervention needed to turn Uganda into a Knowledge Society and fulfill the objectives
of the development plan Uganda 2040.
• In activity 1 you will analyze different areas of government intervention related to the
current Ugandan situation, the plans to become a KS by 2025 and the development plan
for 2040: IT infrastructure, youth, agriculture, women, culture and language, poverty,
tourism and the MDGs.
• In activity 2 you will consider Uganda’s development policy “Uganda 2040” and how some
of its objectives might relate to a KS.
• In activity 3 you will build a SWOT matrix for Uganda today in order to become a
Knowledge Society in 2025 and achieve its development vision objectives by 2040.
1. Selected action lines to support the development of a

Knowledge Society
Now that you have learned more about the Knowledge Society and the areas of government
intervention, we will work together to reflect on some of the critical characteristics of Uganda that
support or hinder the development of the Knowledge Society.
1.1 Telecommunications infrastructure

In 2005 during the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) 10 targets were set related to
ICT infrastructure for all participant countries to be met by 2015:
1. Connect villages and establish community access points;
2. Connect universities, colleges, secondary schools and primary schools;
3. Connect scientific and research institutions;
4. Connect all public libraries, archives, museums, cultural centers and post offices;
5. Connect health centers and hospitals;
6. Connect all local and central government departments and establish websites and e-mail
addresses for them;
7. Adapt all primary and secondary school curricula to meet the challenges of the information
society, taking into account national circumstances;
8. Ensure that the entire world population has access to television and radio services;
9. Encourage the development of content and put in place technical conditions in order to
facilitate the presence, and use, of all world languages on the Internet;
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10. Ensure that more than half the world’s inhabitants have personal use of ICT.
Activity: How well do you think Uganda (or your country) is doing in meeting each of these
objectives? What actions are been carried out? Please use the table below to summarize your
reflections.
Objective How well is your country doing?
1. Connected
communities
2. Connected
educational
institutions
3. Connected
Science institutions
4. Connected
cultural institutions
5. Connected
health institutions
6. Connect local
and national
government
7. Adapt Curricula
8. TV and radio for

all
9. Content and
languages
10. Access to ICT
Page 57 of 74
1.2 A Knowledge Society for a young population

Uganda has one of the youngest populations in Africa. Have a look at Uganda’s Predicted
Population Pyramids for 2020 and 2050 by accessing
http://www.nationmaster.com/country/ug/Age_distribution.
The African Economic Outlook report (2012), observes that Uganda has one of the youngest and
fastest growing populations on the African continent. While a young population can be an asset,
the country is facing a lot of challenges for providing quality employment for these young people.
Youth unemployment and underemployment trends in Uganda are driven by a variety of factors;
among these include the lack of employable skills, limited access to financial and technical
resources, insufficient emphasis on vocational training and a mismatch between graduate skills and
skills requirements in the job market.
Activity - Reflect on the following:

• How must the design of a Knowledge Society Policy take into account such a young
population?
• What are the key areas of government intervention that must be considered in order to
satisfy the needs of this population and fully support their growth into productive adults?
Hints: Take into account education, employment, vocational training, entrepreneurship,
parenthood and family, health, access devices, language and culture.
• What challenges does a large % of young people pose for developing a KS?
• Consider the organization/s you work for. Do they have a role to play in integrating youth
in the KS? How? (if your organization does not have a role please select another
organization you know of and that might play a crucial role).
1.3 Evolution from mainly agricultural to a leading IT industry

Economically, Uganda is reported to have substantial natural resources, including fertile soils,
regular rainfall, deposits of copper, gold and other minerals and recently discovered oil. Agriculture
remains the backbone of the economy employing over 80% of the work force, followed by industry
at 5% and service industry at 3%. Coffee accounts for the bulk of export revenue. But all this is
going to change: have a look at some of the development objectives for Uganda 2040, indicating
the country wishes to update the agricultural system, become more industrialized and develop a
strong IT industry.
Page 58 of 74
Development Indicator Baseline Target
2010 2040
Labor force distribution in line Agriculture 65.6% 31%
with sectoral contribution (%) Industry 7.6% 26%
Services 26.8% 43%
Manufactured exports as a % of total exports 4.2% 50%
ICT goods & services as a % of total export 0 40%
Activity - Please reflect:

• What can a KS do to support agriculture development and modernization? Hint: think about
e-agriculture applications, e-commerce, agricultural methods, automation, tracking and
exporting.
• What can a KS do to support the development of other areas of the economy, like industry?
What areas are these? What specific advantages does Uganda have in comparison with
other countries in the region?
• If Uganda wants to develop IT related industries and services like hardware, software
development and related services, so that they become 40% of all exports by 2040, what
should it do?
1.4 Women and girls in a KS

“Responsiveness to the interests of women, people with disabilities, native peoples, and
marginalized people and groups should be a consideration of the highest priority in all measures to
promote knowledge societies.” UNESCO 2013
According to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Progress Report of 2010 for Uganda, there
is progress in terms of gender equality and empowerment of women. The target of gender parity
between boys and girls in primary education has been achieved. But it also seems that between
family tasks, work and looking after the house and family members, women in Uganda work many
more hours than men. In general within the African context, there are scarce policies oriented to
integrate women as active players in the Knowledge Society.
“The successful penetration of ICTs within the existing social and economic structures depends on
its people. However, women, youth and PWDs are at times marginalized in most activities but
constitute a very important segment of society. Therefore, there is need to address them as special
Page 59 of 74
groups in society that can positively contribute to the growth of ICTs as well as the use of ICTs as
empowerment tools in their daily activities.” Uganda ICT Policy 2012
Activity - Now reflect:

• How can a KS support the inclusion of women in all areas of society? Hints: education,
technical and vocational training, entrepreneurship, telework, policies, languages, health,
community development, social.
• How can we make technology more accessible to Ugandan women and girls? What social
changes are needed?
• How can your organization (or an organization you know, or the government) contribute to
the needed changes?
1.5 Cultural diversity and identity, cultural Heritage, linguistic diversity and
local content
Uganda is a unique Society where many different tribes, cultures and languages intermix and live in
peace. But slowly traditional ways are disappearing and globalization takes over. A KS can help
preserve Uganda’s cultural heritage.
“What is also at stake is the space we should make for local or indigenous forms of knowledge
within knowledge societies whose development models highly value the codification forms specific
to scientific knowledge. The increasing importance of cultural and linguistic diversity underscores
the extent to which problems of access to knowledge are bound up with the production of
knowledge. Fostering Diversity also means nurturing the creativity of emerging knowledge
societies”. UNESCO (2005)

• How can a KS help support local indigenous languages? Does it make sense to preserve
them, and why? If yes, how could this be done?
• How can a KS help preserve Uganda’s cultural Heritage, like traditions, arts and crafts,
songs and stories, artisan’s techniques? How could this preservation be done?
• How critical is to have Internet content in local languages? How can the government
support the development of local content? What is the role of communities and the school
system?
• How is cultural diversity, preservation of heritage and local languages covered in the draft
ICT Policy 2012? What organizations could play a crucial role?
Page 60 of 74
1.6 Fighting Poverty

“Over the last 25 years, Government has been battling poverty through a number of programmes,
among which was the PEAP. The global trend is that the government, market, civil society and
community all need to work together and help to create conditions that will enable the poor to
overcome their poverty, build their lives, economic and social assets, improve their capabilities,
safeguard their security and reduce their risks and vulnerabilities. The role of ICTs is catalytic in this
complex task of poverty reduction by leveraging effects on earning opportunities, on educational
and health services, on good governance and on promoting democracy.” Uganda’s draft ICT Policy
2012
Activity - Now reflect

1) In general, how can Uganda as a KS help overcome poverty? What type of measures can
be taken in the case of Uganda?
2) According to your opinion, how well is poverty tackled in the draft 2012 ICT Policy?
1.7 Tourism and Ecology

The tourism sector contributes significantly to Uganda’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It provides
significant investment opportunities and employment to Ugandans. Tourism is also a major source
of foreign currency, second after coffee
exports. In 2011 the total tourism
contribution to GDP was US$1628
million while total contribution to
employment was US$447 million (Data
collected from World Travel and
Tourism Council 2011).
As a practical application in ICTs, in
2009 the Uganda Wildlife Authority
under the Ministry of Tourism, Trade and Industry launched a campaign to promote tourism in
Uganda. The friend a Gorilla campaign (http://www.friendagorilla.org/) uses the latest technologies
and this enables Uganda to earn revenue from tourists who visit the cyber space that has been
created to promote the gorilla
- How can a KS support the development of tourism? What can be done to better help
potential visitors?
- What is the role (if any) of Ugandans in Diaspora?
Page 61 of 74
1.8 Uganda and achieving Millennium development goals

Have a look at the status of achievement of each of the selected MDG according to the Millennium
Development Goals Report for Uganda 2010 by Uganda’s Ministry of Finance, Planning and
Economic Development
(http://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/upload/Uganda/UgandaMDGReport2010.pdf)
Page 62 of 74
Activity- Now reflect:

- For those targets that are slow: How could ICT help Uganda achieve them? What
applications or services exist today that focus on some of the targets?
- For those targets that are on track, how can a KS speed up their achievement?
- Do you believe ICTs could help in solving the issues faced by those targets that have
reversed (meaning instead of being sorted out they have become worse)?
Page 63 of 74
2. Achieving Vision 2040

“A transformed Ugandan society from a peasant to a modern and
prosperous country within 30 years” Vision 2040
Vision: “A knowledge society where Information and Communications

Technology (ICT) is central in all spheres of life‟ Mission: “To leverage ICT
for transformation of Uganda into a Knowledge Society by 2025” ICT Policy
draft 2012
In line with Vision 2040 a number of socio-economic indicators and targets have been developed
for Uganda. Below you can find some selected development indicators we have selected for this
exercise, their baseline status and target.
Development Indicator Baseline Target
2010 2040
Per capita income USD 506 USD 9500
% of population below the poverty line 24.5 5

Agriculture
65.6 31
Labor force distribution in line
with sectoral contribution (%) Industry
7.6 26
Services
26.8 43
% share of national labor force employed 70.9 94
Manufactured exports as a % of total exports 4.2 50

ICT goods & services as a % of total export 0 40
% level of urbanization 13 60
Technology up-take & diffusion (Technology Achievement Index 0.24 0.5
(TAI))
Literacy Rate (%) 73 95
Innovation as measured by patents registered per year 3 6000
Gender Related Development Index (GDI) 0.51 0.9
Activity:
In the table below, please write down what you think can be the role of a KS to help achieve or
influence each of the selected objectives of Vision 2040. As a hint, reflect on the implications for
Page 64 of 74
Education, Industry development, Infrastructure in general (roads, water, electricity), work,

communities, culture ICT infrastructure, legislation for each of them.
Development area Action lines

Increase per
capita income
Reduce % of
population below
the poverty line
Change Labor
force distribution
by reducing
agriculture and
increasing industry
and services.
Increase national
labor force
employed
Increase
manufactured
exports as a % of
total exports
Create ICT goods

& services as a %
of total export
Page 65 of 74
Development area Action lines

Increase level of
urbanization
Improve
Technology up-
take & diffusion
(Technology
Achievement
Index (TAI))
Increase Literacy
Rate (%)
Foster Innovation
Improve situation
of women
Page 66 of 74
3. Uganda has achieved its dream
Let us imagine it is the year 2040 and Uganda has achieved its Vision and become a middle income
country. Before that and by 2025,
it has become a Knowledge
Society as planned in the draft
ICT Policy 2012. Becoming a KS
has played a critical part in
fulfilling the development
objectives.
Now let us go back in time and

analyze what the situation in 2013
was using a SWOT analysis
matrix. Keep in mind the focus is
Uganda as a Knowledge
Society and the Vision
objectives achieved by 2040.
Image Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:SWOT_en.svg
• Strengths: characteristics of Uganda that give it an advantage over other countries

(internal factors of all types). Examples: Capabilities, competitive advantages, resources,
assets, population characteristics, geography, economy, innovation, culture, processes,
systems, values, legal system, etc.
• Weaknesses: characteristics that place the country at a disadvantage relative to others
(internal factors as well). These are areas that can be improved. Examples: disadvantages,
gaps, competitivity, financials, vulnerabilities, pressures, reliability, leadership, commitment,
politics, etc.
• Opportunities: elements that Uganda could exploit to its advantage in order to become a
knowledge Society (external factors). These are leads that we can focus our energy on.
Example: other countries vulnerabilities, technological trends, population issues, Global and
regional influences, adaptability, partnerships, commitment.
Page 67 of 74
• Threats: external elements that could cause trouble, slow or hinder Uganda’s development
as KS. These are obstacles that we must surpass. Example: politics, legislation,
environment, competition, sustainability, economy, security, debt, etc.
The instructor will indicate how the activity will be carried out.
Page 68 of 74
Additional reading, Bibliography and references by category
Knowledge Society
• IFAP National Information Society Policy: A Template (2009) http://ifap-is-
observatory.ittk.hu/sites/default/files/NISP_FINAL.pdf
• IFAP Observatory website http://ifap-is-observatory.ittk.hu/
• UNESCO (2005). “Towards Knowledge Societies: UNESCO World Report” Available at:
http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0014/001418/141843e.pdf.
• UNESCO (2013) “Renewing the Knowledge Societies Vision: Towards Knowledge Societies
for Peace and Sustainable Development”
http://en.unesco.org/post2015/sites/post2015/files/UNESCO-Knowledge-Society-Report-
Draft--11-February-2013.pdf
Ugandan Policies, Regulations and research documents

• GESCI (2012) “Assessment of Environmental, Institutional and Individual Leadership
Capacity Needs for the Knowledge Society in Uganda, A Situational and Needs Analysis”
http://www.gesci.org/assets/files/8.%20Uganda%20Final%20Draft%20Version.pdf
• Uganda Vision 2040 (2010) http://www.npa.ug/vision2040/docs/VisionDocument.rar
• Uganda’s National Development Plan (NDP) 2010/11-2014/15 http://npa.ug/docs/NDP2.pdf
• Uganda’s Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP) of 2004
http://www.imf.org/external/NP/prsp/2000/Uga/01/
• Uganda’s Computer Misuse Act
http://www.ict.go.ug/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=57&Itemi
d=61
• Ministry of works, housing and communications National Information and communication
technology policy (2003)
http://www.researchictafrica.net/countries/uganda/2003_Uganda_National_ICT_Policy_Fra
mework.doc
• Uganda’s Information Technology Policy 2010 (draft)
d=61
• Uganda Access to Information Act (2005)
http://www.freedominfo.org/documents/uganda_ati_act_2005.pdf
Page 69 of 74
• Uganda’s Information Technology Policy 2012 (draft)

d=61
• Uganda’s Revised Education Sector Strategic Plan (ESSP) of 2007-2015
http://planipolis.iiep.unesco.org/upload/Uganda/Uganda%20Revised%20Education%20Sec
tor%20strategic%20plan%202007-2015.pdf
• Plan for Modernization of Agriculture (PMA) of 1997. http://www.agriculture.go.ug/index-
page-bodies-id-119.htm
• Uganda’s policy framework for management of .ug country code (2011)
http://www.ict.go.ug/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=54&tmpl=com
ponent&format=raw&Itemid=61
• Draft telecommunications policy (2012)
d=61
• E-waste Policy (2011)
d=61
• Science, Technology And Innovation In Uganda, Status Report 2009/2010, Uganda National
Council For Science And Technology, http://www.uncst.go.ug/dmdocuments/2010-
2011%20STI%20Report.pdf
• Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development, Science, Technology and
Innovation Policy (2009)
http://www.uncst.go.ug/dmdocuments/STI%20policy%20doc%20march%202011.pdf
• Uganda Electronic Signatures Act (2011)
http://www.nita.go.ug/new/index.php/component/joomdoc/publications/laws/UGANDA%20
Electronic%20Signatures%20Act%20No.%207%20of%202011.pdf/JOOMDOC_ROUTE_DO
WNLOAD
• Uganda Electronic Transactions Act (2011)
http://www.nita.go.ug/new/index.php/component/joomdoc/publications/laws/UGANDA%20
Electronic%20Transactions%20Act%20No.%208%20of%202011.pdf/JOOMDOC_ROUTE_D
OWNLOAD
• Ministry of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Information Management
Services Policy (2011)
http://www.nita.go.ug/new/index.php/component/joomdoc/publications/policies/ministry-
of-information-and-communications-technology-ict-information-management-services-
policy/JOOMDOC_ROUTE_DOWNLOAD
Page 70 of 74
• Rural Communications Development Policy for Uganda (2009)

http://www.researchictafrica.net/countries/uganda/Uganda%20Rural%20Communication%
202009.pdf
• National e-Government Strategy Framework (2010)
http://www.nita.go.ug/new/index.php/component/joomdoc/publications/reports/national-
electronic-government-e-government-framework-draft-final-june-
2010/JOOMDOC_ROUTE_DOWNLOAD
• Ministerial Policy statement: The Policy Statement presents planned outputs and
achievements of the FY 2011/12 and planned outputs/priorities for FY 2012/13 which
comprise specific inputs from the Ministry of Information and Communications Technology
(MoICT), National Information Technology Authority - Uganda (NITA-U), Uganda Institute
of Information and Communications Technology (UICT), as bodies that draw resources
from the Consolidated Fund, Posta Uganda and Uganda Communications Commission &
Broadcasting Council (UCC & BC) as the other semi autonomous bodies.
d=61
• Uganda National Council For Science And Technology, Status Report 2009/2010 (2011),
http://www.uncst.go.ug/dmdocuments/2010-2011%20STI%20Report.pdf
E-readiness
• IFAP 2011 Report http://ifap-is-
• ITU Measuring the Knowledge Society 2012 report http://www.itu.int/ITU-
D/ict/publications/idi/
• World Economic Forum Global Information Technology Report 2013
http://www.weforum.org/issues/global-information-technology
• ITU Statistical database of telecommunication indicators http://www.itu.int/ITU-
D/ict/statistics/at_glance/KeyTelecom.html
• The Economist Digital economy rankings 2010,
http://graphics.eiu.com/upload/EIU_Digital_economy_rankings_2010_FINAL_WEB.pdf a
combined ranking of countries taking into account connectivity and technology
infrastructure, business environment, social and cultural environment, legal environment,
government policy and vision and consumer and business adoption. Unfortunately not
many African countries are included, but the analysis of the indicators and its weight is
interesting.
Page 71 of 74
• The Digital Opportunity Index http://www.itu.int/ITU-D/ict/doi/material/WISR07-

chapter3.pdf is an e-index based on internationally-agreed ICT indicators produced by ITU.
The DOI was compiled for 181 economies for three years from 2004-2006, but
unfortunately it has been discontinued. The Index (DOI) is based on 11 ICT indicators,
grouped in clusters of three: opportunity, infrastructure and utilization.
• ITU’s The World in 2013: ICT Facts and Figures (http://www.itu.int/en/ITU-
D/Statistics/Documents/facts/ICTFactsFigures2013.pdf
• ITU Connect Africa Goals set for 2015, http://www.itu.int/ITU-
D/connect/africa/2007/goals.html
• Global Innovation Index 2013 http://www.globalinnovationindex.org/
Kenya:
• The Open data website launched in 2011 makes key government data freely available to
the public through a single online portal. The 2009 census, national and regional
expenditure, and information on key public services are some of the first datasets to be
released. The website is a user-friendly platform that allows for visualisations and
downloads of the data and easy access for software developers. Indeed, tools and
applications have already been built to take this data and make it more useful than it
originally was. https://opendata.go.ke/page/about
• Kenya e-waste guidelines (2011) http://gesci.org/assets/files/Knowledge%20Centre/E-
Waste%20Guidelines_Kenya2011.pdf
• Kenya has a large number of laws and regulations that have been adapted for the digital
world, including e-transactions, e-signatures, consumer protection, and computer crime.
http://michaelmurungi.blogspot.de/#!/2011/06/schedule-of-laws-and-regulations-on-
ict_24.html
• In Kenya a National e-Government Framework was developed in 2004 and a Directorate of
e-Government was set up under the Cabinet Office within the Office of the President to
coordinate and spearhead the implementation of the e-Government programme in Kenya.
It includes deployment of villa information centers in rural areas, re-engineering of business
processes, development of website standards http://www.e-
government.go.ke/index.php?option=com_docman&task=cat_view&gid=36&amp
;Itemid=50
Page 72 of 74
Rwanda:
• Rwanda Vision 2020 http://www.gesci.org/assets/files/Rwanda_Vision_2020.pdf
• Rwanda e-waste law, http://minict.gov.rw/ict/policies-publications/e-waste-policy?lang=en
• NICI 2010 is a comprehensive integrated ICT-led socio-economic development policy and
plan set within the wider context of the developmental objectives of the country is in place.
It includes actions for e-government. http://www.ist-
africa.org/home/files/Rwanda_NICI2010.pdf
Tanzania:
• Assessment of Environmental, Institutional and Individual Leadership Capacity Needs for
the Knowledge Society in Tanzania A Situational and Needs Analysis by GESCI 2011
http://www.gesci.org/assets/files/ALICT_Tanzania_Sit(1).pdf
• The Central Bank, the Tanzanian Revenue Authority, and the Public Procurement
Regulatory Authority are setting up an e-procurement system for the Tanzanian Public
Service. http://ppra.forumotions.com/
Other:
• GESCI, “African Leadership in ICT and Knowledge Societies: Issues, Tensions and
Opportunities for Learning” (2010)
http://www.gesci.org/assets/files/African%20Leadership%20in%20ICT%20and%20Knowle
dge%20Societies%20%20Issues,%20Tensions%20and%20Opportunities%20for%20Learni
ng.doc
• Comesa e-government Portal http://egov.comesa.int/
• The East Africa Community Task Force on Cyber laws has developed a framework for cyber
laws. The EAC framework recommends the creation of regional oversight bodies; one such
body being the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT), an electronic authentication
body, among
others.http://www.eac.int/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_download&gid=632&
Itemid=163 .
• UNCITRAL, United Nations Commission on International Trade Law, OECD and ITU have
coordinated their efforts to work on common legal frameworks for ecommerce and trade
related issues defining model laws like:
o UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce Guide to Enactment (1996)
http://www.uncitral.org/pdf/english/texts/electcom/05-89450_Ebook.pdf
Page 73 of 74
o UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Signatures with Guide to Enactment (2001)

http://www.uncitral.org/uncitral/en/uncitral_texts/electronic_commerce/2001Model
_signatures.html
o OECD Guidelines for Protecting Consumers from Fraudulent and Deceptive
Commercial Practices Across Borders (2008)
http://www.oecd.org/internet/consumer/2956464.pdf
o OECD Guidelines on the Protection of Privacy and Transborder Flows of Personal
Data
http://www.oecd.org/internet/ieconomy/oecdguidelinesontheprotectionofprivacyan
dtransborderflowsofpersonaldata.htm
• UNESCO recommendation concerning the Promotion and Use of Multilingualism and
Universal Access to Cyberspace. (2003) http://www.unesco.org/new/en/communication-
and-information/about-us/how-we-work/strategy-and-programme/promotion-and-use-of-
multilingualism-and-universal-access-to-cyberspace/
• UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage (2003)
http://www.unesco.org/culture/ich/index.php?lg=en&pg=00022
• ITUs Research on Legislation in data Privacy, Security and the Prevention of Cybercrime
(2006) http://www.itu.int/dms_pub/itu-d/opb/str/D-STR-CRIM-2006-PDF-E.pdf
Page 74 of 74

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Training Manual:

Uganda as a Knowledge Society

to support the sessions on Knowledge Society,

Executive Training on Foundations

Kampala, Uganda, 22-26 July 2013

Deepening utilization of ICT services by government, private sector, not-for profit

List of tables and figures

Figure 1: ICT development of the world by IFAP ...................................................................... 3

The objectives of the training sessions are:

Roxana Bassi and Susana Finquelievich, September 2013

Building Knowledge Societies

Knowledge Society definitions and concepts

Let us review some concepts and definitions from diverse sources:

Some reflections on the KS:

and modern technology. It would be inadmissible to envisage the information and

Another Key document, the National ICT Policy of 2003, acknowledges

i) Build a knowledge based human capital;

ii) Promote innovation in economic and social systems;

vi) Improve ICT governance and environment in Uganda.

Milestones in Uganda’s KS & related public policies

- 2011: Draft Information Management Services Policy developed to address poor

E-readiness in the Knowledge Society

Some questions that may guide the selection of indicators are:

Measuring Knowledge Societies

a) IFAPs 2011 Report

Figure 1: ICT development of the world by IFAP

Figure 2: Internet penetration in Africa by IFAP

b) ITU Measuring the Information Society 2012

Figure 3: IDI sub indexes

Source: ITU “Measuring the Information Society 2012” report

Figure 4: World list and IDI 2011 and 2010

Source: ITU “Measuring the Information Society 2012” report

Figure 5: African countries IDI 2011 and 2010

Source: ITU “Measuring the Information Society 2012” report

c) WEF Global Information Technology Report

The report can be accessed at: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GITR_Report_2013.pdf

Figure 6: NRI index for the world in 2013 and 2012

2013 2012 2013 vs. 2012

Finland 1 5,98 3 5,81 0,18 2

Taiwan, China 10 5,47 11 5,48 -0,01 1

Hong Kong SAR 14 5,40 13 5,46 -0,06 -1

Australia 18 5,26 17 5,29 -0,03 -1

New Zealand 20 5,25 14 5,36 -0,12 -6

France 26 5,06 23 5,12 -0,06 -3

2013 2012 2013 vs. 2012

Economy Rank Score Rank Score Score var. Rank var.

Malta 28 4,90 26 4,91 -0,01 -2

Chile 34 4,59 39 4,44 0,15 5

Panama 46 4,22 57 4,01 0,21 11

Uruguay 52 4,16 44 4,28 -0,12 -8

Azerbaijan 56 4,11 61 3,95 0,16 5

Kuwait 62 3,94 62 3,95 -0,01 0

India 68 3,88 69 3,89 -0,01 1

2013 2012 2013 vs. 2012

Economy Rank Score Rank Score Score var. Rank var.

Ukraine 73 3,87 75 3,85 0,02 2

Seychelles 79 3,80 n/a n/a n/a n/a

Ecuador 91 3,58 96 3,46 0,12 5

Liberia 97 3,48 n/a n/a n/a n/a

Iran, Islamic Rep. 101 3,43 104 3,36 0,06 3

Senegal 107 3,33 100 3,42 -0,08 -7

Namibia 111 3,29 105 3,35 -0,06 -6

Nigeria 113 3,27 112 3,22 0,04 -1